A “final decision” on the state government’s position on the draft National Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill is still to be taken.
Mamata asked the group of ministers led by Partha Chatterjee entrusted with fine-tuning the state’s land policy to articulate its position on the central bill at the next cabinet meeting on August 17. The Union rural development ministry has invited opinion on the bill till August 31.
The principal secretary of the land and land revenue department, Ram Das Meena, is already working on the state’s response to the Union bill with the help of former land commissioner and Rajya Sabha MP Debabrata Bandopadhyay.
After today’s talks it became clear that the PPP rider Bandopadhyay had articulated in his meeting with Jairam Ramesh on Sunday had not found favour with Mamata.
Mamata did not spell out her stand after Chatterjee briefed the cabinet on the leadership’s opposition to including the private sector under public purpose, but a minister later said: “The PPP rider will allow a backdoor entry to private companies.”
“Mamata has already said no to any degree of forcible land acquisition and government intervention in favour of private players,’’ he added.
Bandopadhyay indicated he was not insisting on his PPP rider. “I have not discussed my suggestions in the party or with the chief minister. Let Meena decide on it.”
The only allowance Trinamul would make would be for “projects involving national security, natural calamities and urgent infrastructure and other development. These include railways, dams, bridges, roads, schools and hospitals”.
“We suggest that acquisition must be done by the government and then leased out to its private partners to which it has outsourced some jobs,’’ another member of the GoM said.