Protests force TS rethink land plans

The TS government’s plans to check delays in land acquisition for irrigation projects have boomeranged.

The government brought its own land acquisition policy (GO 123) in place of Centre's Land Acquisition Act, 2013 to avoid meeting stringent norms like conducting social impact assessment and seeking consent of land owners for acquisition and also speedy acquisition.

However, due to stiff resistance from farmers, land acquisition has been halted for now forcing the government to now agree to implement Centre’s Act to douse farmers’ anger.

TS needs to acquire 3.94 lakh acres to take up ongoing irrigation projects. Of this, it could acquire only 1.96 lakh acres so far.

The controversy has put a big question mark on completion of projects within three years as mandated by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Another important factor is that the TS government is not in a position to bear higher compensation costs as per the Centre's Act. It is already struggling to mobilise the `1.25 lakh-crore required for completion of irrigation projects.

The government has decided to allot `25,000 crore in the Budget every year, starting this year, for the speedy execution of projects.

However, implementing the Centre's Act would mean paying higher compensation, besides a prolonged process for land acquisition affecting the project deadlines.

Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao said, “GO 123 will ensure speedy disbursal of compensation. There will be no ‘middleman menace’ and compensation would be paid on the spot through cheques. The Centre's Act is time consum- ing. Even if the Centre's Act is implemented, there will not be much difference since we are offering a decent compensation besides providing 2BHK houses for outstees. But the Opposition is misleading farmers with the malafide intention of obstructing projects. We are ready to pay compensation as per Centre's Act if farmers are willing.”