K Chandrasekhar Rao wants special session to amend Land Acquisition Act
Hyderabad: The state government is getting ready to hold yet another special session of the Legislature soon to amend TS Land Acquisition Act, 2016.
The Act was passed by the Legislature last December and sent to the Centre for the President’s assent. However, the Centre raised objections over certain provisions of the Act and sought clarifications.
The government had clarified the objections raised by the Centre. However, the Centre wants the state government to make amendments to the Act as per the clarifications given, pass it in Legislature and resend it.
The government recently convened a special session of Legislature to pass Muslim/ST quota bill. The Land Aquisition Act has been pending with the Centre for nearly three months now. This has led to the land acquisition process coming to a standstill in the state in the absence of Land Acquisition Act as properties acquired under GOs have been landing in legal troubles.
The government has been allotting over Rs 25,000 crore in the Budget every year since last year to complete irrigation projects on a war footing. However, the funds remain unspent as projects are not making headway due to land acquisition issues.
Realising the need to get the President’s assent for the Act at the earliest, the state government deputed principal revenue secretary B.R. Meena to Delhi, who stayed there for three days to pursued the case with the Centre.
Mr Meena clarified all the objections raised by Centre but officials of Union Home and Law ministries wanted TS to incorporate the clarifications in the Act by amending the existing provisions.
Since the Budget session of Legislature had commenced in the last week of March, there is no possibility of holding monsoon session at least till July/ August.
