Amid no clear consensus emerging on the proposed Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, the government is likely to move an “open-ended” draft law in Parliament’s Monsoon Session, earmarking 40 to 45 per cent of the net sown area as “reserved agricultural zone” in which there can be no change in land use for at least 10 years.
In a move to ensure that agricultural produce is not affected by toxic contamination, the draft bill will require that polluting industries not be permitted in the vicinity of reserved agricultural zones.
The draft Land Acqui-sition (Amendment) Bill, which has been sent by the rural development ministry to the law ministry, is learnt to have called for provisions to declare “reserved agricultural zone” on the lines of reserved forest areas to ensure the country’s food security was not compromised.
“The draft bill is very much open ended so that parliamentarians can contribute with their suggestions, which the government would be keen to incorporate if there was a consensus among MPs. The draft bill has broad provisions arrived at in a short span of time,” said a senior official of the rural development ministry.