Can't our land acquisition system be more farmer friendly??

After all eye-catching issue on corruption prevailing in the blood of our society like a cancer that seems to be implacable, the next burning topic that seeks our attention is the land acquisition issues in India. The atrocities committed to the men of land - 'farmers' by the police, the men they knew as their protector, quaked the whole country one after the other incidents. Better be called as unfortunate events ! 

The Singur, Nandigram, Dhinkia,and Gobindpur are the stadiums that were used to play the game of industrialization on the tears of the poor people ! Obviously, the last two names might not be that familiar to you. Note, I said it "might not be". The devil role played by the ruling party in state with the mask of police was really something that drew immense attention of the whole nation. Well, I can't really assure that the international draw wasn't there. It was like building my shop on the corner of a beggar. I challenge you believe this !


 And obviously media was there ! Because it was truly the best moment of earning TRPs. Pardon, but the actions of journalists there can somehow be compared with the stunning work of Mrs. Barkha Dutt during Kargil War. Seeming very sarcastic? Please don't have that feeling. The part still missing is 'the land mafia' ! Thats enough feary, isn't it?

Well the scenery at Singur-Nandigram was really hard to think of sitting in front of the screen here.The worst part of it was blood that the poor farmer sweated out protesting for the land. What's the use of such progress that comes out by kicking the stomachs of the common citizens?


Yeah, the picture was very devastating. This was such a tsunami that flushed out the 34 year ruling and such a strong-held left government out to the opposition after the 2011 elections in West Bengal. And here it quaked the minds of the political parties sitting in other states.

There I guess the picture in Orissa must also be upheld in the court of your jurisdiction. The Orissa government paused land acquisition at the proposed steel plant of Posco in Dhinkia grampanchayat for next five days even thousands of protesters dug their heels opposing the land acquisition. Even the activists like Medha Patkar would be there to show soliditary to the local people.

Let us examine the issues that India faces while trying to acquire land? If one can get over the cultural affinity to land, how does one get adequately compensated for their land? Does one pay the price before, say, the news that a highway is going to be built through your land, or the price after the news is released? How does one make sure that the money actually reaches the people? Plus the additional problem – who are the people – the owners or the tillers of land? How do you rehabilitate the people who are displaced and give them skills such as will enable them to get jobs in other sectors?

All major projects, including POSCO, Tata Steel, Mittals, and the Vedanta group investments, the Assocham noted, were hanging for the past four years. In addition to the protests over land acquisition, environmental issues and objections were being raised, adding to the delays in the implementation of projects. These problems are not peculiar to Orissa.

For an inclusive growth strategy, to be able to connect all Indians and provide them both physical and human infrastructure, we need land. At the same time, climate change is real.  Unless and until we have a sensible policy which shares the costs and benefits ‘equally’ amongst all the parties — from the landless laborers to business houses — our development is going to be stalled and delayed. Instead of playing short-term politics with land issues, political parties need to sit together and think of solutions that would translate into increased development.  It is after all in their interests to do so because increased development would translate to their being voted back to power (as evidenced by the recent re-election of the Chief Minister of Bihar, one of the poorest states of India, who won on the platforms of clean governance and the increased growth and development of the state).