MARGAO
Will “procurement of land” and not the time consuming “land acquisition” turn out the latest mantra for government departments in their bid to lay their hands on land to set up public utility projects?
Less than a year after its notification, Goa government’s policy on procurement of land for public purposesas against the normal practice of “land acquisition” is facing an acid test with the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd knocking the doors of the South Goa District Collector for procurement of land for the line doubling project between Collem to Margao.
Perhaps for the first time, a government-run department, in the instant case the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd has invoked the policy on procurement of land under Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, for direct procurement of land for public purposes on priority basis.
Under this policy notified a little less than a year ago on May 20, 2016, the government and its departments will directly approach the district Collector to procure the land in question for a public purpose as against the time consuming process of land acquisition.
Inquiries by The Goan had revealed that the district Collector is required under the policy to constitute team headed by an officer not below the rank of a deputy Collector, with members of the team comprising of Agricultural officer, Town planner, besides other officers. What’s important to note is that the team is required to obtain consent letter from the owner of the land, with a provision that the consent letter needs to be explained to the land owner in the language known to him and endorsed by the team leader.
Sources said the Collector-appointed team has managed to obtain consent letters from land owners in respect of the land required for the line doubling project along the Collem-Assolda stretch of the South Central Railway and that the ball now lies in the court of the government. “The Collector has submitted a detailed report to the Revenue department for obtaining administrative approval, finance expenditure cabinet approval,” a Rail Vikas Nigam official informed.
A senior officer in the South district Collectorate informed that the sale deed with the land owners will be executed and registered by the Collector only after the proposal gets the stamp of approval from the government.
Incidentally, the rehabilitation and resettlement components state that if a house is lost for procuring any land under the policy, a constructed house shall be provided by the requiring department to the affected families. “The size of the house shall be equal to the house lost by the families and the same shall be made available in the close vicinity of the house lost,” the policy states, adding that close vicinity shall mean within a radius of 1-5 kms from the land procured.
