CPM plans agitation against land acquisition act

Agartala: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and its front organisations on Friday announced launch of an agitation to modify the country's Land Acquisition Act, 1894, formulated during the British regime, party leaders here said.

"The 117-years old land acquisition law allows the government to forcibly acquire land from private landholders for projects of public purpose," senior CPI-M leader Narayan Kar told reporters on Friday.

"The act also permits arbitrarily acquiring any land without considering the land owner's views and giving adequate compensation," said Kar, who is also a national leader of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS).

In the poll bound West Bengal, the ruling Left Front was caught in a controversy over land acquisition at Singur in Hooghly district for Tata Motors's car factory. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has admitted that the land acquisition was one of the mistakes committed by his government.

The Left leader, also a former Rajya Sabha member, said the act is a tough adversary for the small and marginal land owners and farmers.

The CPI-M wants that the government's absolute power to acquire land must be scrapped.

The AIKS, as part of its 76th foundation anniversary, is organising countrywide movements in support of several demands, including the relaxation of the entitlement period for non-tribals to get pattas (title deeds) under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2005.

The AIKS wants same norms for non-tribals and tribals for getting the land titles. Currently, the law states that tribals living in forest for last 75 years are eligible for the land titles while the time frame for non-tribals is more.

"We have been demanding that the central act should be modified suitably and the stipulated years should be reduced so that non-tribals also get the patta along with the tribals," Kar said.

As part of their agitation, a rally will be held in Agartala on Sunday, which will be addressed by CPI-M politburo member and AIKS president S Ramachandran Pillai, he added.