NAPM Writes to JPC on Land Bill, Extend the Time for Receiving Inputs and Hold Public Hearings

NAPM Writes to Joint Parliamentary Committee for Extension of Date to Receive Comments on Land Bill 2015 and Hold Country Wide Public Hearings

NAPM to Make Comprehensive Submission to the Committee Suggesting Changes to Strengthen Land Act in Favour of Farmers & Workers

New Delhi, July 27 : Responding to the newspaper advertisements on May 24^thinviting submissions from the public at large on "The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment Bill, 2015), NAPM, an alliance of 250 plus people's movements from across the country led by Medha Patkar has asked for extending the time for receiving inputs from public.

In a letter addressed to Shri S S Ahluwalia, Chairperson, of the Committee, they said, "after the consistent pressure and opposition, the NDA government has referred the land bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee but a two week notice to make submissions is extremely insufficient for many groups and mass organisations to give detail inputs and bring out their comments". They have demanded that the Committee extend the time line atleast by a month, till July 8^th. The letter has also been sent to all the members of the Committee as well as to the Minister of Rural Development, Shri Birender Singh

In addition, they also suggested to the Committee to reach out to the farmers and workers of this country and hold wider consultations, public meetings and public hearings on the Bill, especially where local communities have been affected by past or present experiences of land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement,like in Kalinga Nagar and Dhinkia to Narmada, Sompetta, Raigarh, Madurai, Mundra, Kanhar, Bhatta Parsaul, Jashpur, Dholera, and many others.

NAPM has joined hands with many other farmers – workers groups, left affiliated Kisan Sabhas and Khet Mazdoor Unions to form Bhumi Adhikaar Andolan and is in process of mobilising farmers and workers opposing forcible acquisitions and will suggest changes to the 2015 Bill and also to 2013 Act to make bring in more progressive provisions, like extending the consent provisions to the government projects or Social Impact Assessment for irrigation projects amongst others. Bhumi Adhikaar Andolan organised massive demonstrations on February 24^th and May 5^th at Sansad Marg and has vowed to oppose corporate led changes to the 2013 Act.

Contact : 9818905316 napmindia@gmail.com  

NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS

National Office : 6/6 Jangpura B, New Delhi – 110 014 . Phone : 011 2437 4535 | 9818905316

May 27, 2015

To,                                                                                                       

Shri. S S Ahluwalia,

Chairperson,

Joint Parliamentary Committee

Sub: Request to the Committee for extension of date to receive comments on "The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment Bill, 2015)" 

Dear Shri Ahluwalia Ji,

With reference to newspaper advertisements on May 24^th inviting submissions from the public at large on "The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment Bill, 2015), we would like to submit to you the following :

The Land Ordinance has been fiercely opposed and debated in past three months across the country. After the consistent pressure and opposition, the NDA government has referred this to the Joint Parliamentary Committee headed by you and consisting of members of both the houses. However, your Committee has only given a two week notice to make submissions, which we feel is extremely insufficient for many groups and mass organisations to detail threadbare and bring out their comments, which requires more time.

Through this letter, we also want to suggest that Joint Parliamentary Committee must reach out to the farmers and workers of this country and hold wider consultations, public meetings and public hearings on the Bill. The majority of Indian citizens affected by land acquisition live in rural areas, so it is necessary and important to hold consultations to discuss the current draft in rural areas, especially where local communities have been affected by past or present experiences of land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement. From Kalinga Nagar and Dhinkia to Narmada, Sompetta, Raigarh, Madurai, Mundra, Kanhar, Bhatta Parsaul, Jashpur, Dholera, and many others, people resisting illegal land acquisitions will welcome the move of the Committee and democratic spirit of engagement behind that.

We understand that the Committee wants to complete its deliberations at the earliest; however, the matter of this importance can't be dealt away in such hurry. We believe that 2013 Act, amended after 114 years, and having vetted by two Parliamentary Standing Committees and debated over seven years inside and outside the Parliament should be given more time for deliberation.

We sincerely hope that the Committee would give due recognition to our demand and extend the deadline for the submissions atleast by a month until July 8^th and also organise wider public consultations and hearings in affected areas, as has been done on previous occasions by the other Committees.

With regards,

Medha Patkar - Narmada Bachao Andolan and National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM); Prafulla Samantara - Lok Shakti Abhiyan & Lingraj Azad– Samajwadi Jan Parishad - Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti, NAPM, Odisha; Dr. Sunilam, Aradhna Bhargava - Kisan Sangharsh Samiti & Meera – Narmada Bachao Andolan, NAPM, MP; Suniti SR, Suhas Kolhekar, Prasad Bagwe - NAPM, Maharashtra; Gabriele Dietrich, Geetha Ramakrishnan – Unorganised Sector Workers Federation, NAPM, TN; C R Neelkandan – NAPM Kerala; P Chennaiah & Ramakrishnam Raju – NAPM Andhra Pradesh, Arundhati Dhuru, Richa Singh, Nandlal Master - NAPM, UP; Sister Celia - Domestic Workers Union & Rukmini V P, Garment Labour Union, NAPM, Karnataka; Vimal Bhai - Matu Jan sangathan & Jabar Singh, NAPM, Uttarakhand; Anand Mazgaonkar, Krishnakant - Paryavaran Suraksh Samiti, NAPM Gujarat;Kamayani Swami, Ashish Ranjan – Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan &Mahendra Yadav – Kosi Navnirman Manch, NAPM Bihar; Faisal Khan, Khudai Khidmatgar, J S Walia, NAPM Haryana; Kailash Meena, NAPM Rajasthan;Amitava Mitra & Sujato Bhadra, NAPM West Bengal; Bhupender Singh Rawat – Jan Sangharsh Vahini & Rajendra Ravi, Madhuresh Kumar and Kanika Sharma – NAPM, Delhi

 For details contact : Madhuresh Kumar 9818905316 | email : napmindia@gmail.com 

CC : Members of JPC

Shri Birender Singh, Minister of Rural Development