Government not to go for another ordinance on land bill

New Delhi, July 22  Facing strong resistance from the Congress and other opposition parties over the controversial land acquisition bill, the Narendra Modi government has decided not to go for another re-promulgation of the ordinance and instead write to the states to formulate their own laws, sources said on Wednesday.

The sources said the government will recommend to the states to make required changes in their laws as per National Democratic Alliance's version of the bill.

This decision was taken on Tuesday in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee for Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Modi, the sources said.

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015, which has been brought by the NDA government, is being opposed by the Congress and other parties.

The bill is currently with a joint committee of parliament for detailed discussion on the provisions of the controversial legislation.

The committee is expected to give its report in the first week of August.

Senior leaders are of the view that the land bill will not be passed in the current monsoon session of parliament. So, the government will have to go for another promulgation after the session.

But BJP leaders feel that going for another promulgation may further embarrass the government.

"The NDA government brought the ordinance for the Mumbai-Delhi industrial corridor, which passes through seven states -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi," a BJP leader told IANS.

He said that among the seven states, five are ruled by the BJP.

President Pranab Mukherjee in May gave his assent to re-promulgation of the land ordinance, which was to expire in June.

The ordinance was first promulgated in December last year to amend the act passed during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2013.