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Landless Environment...

Land expropriation has become a common 'jamboree' for the development across the world , in particular, India. For instance, Singur in West Bengal, recent parusal village case in Noida, UP and the other form of this is reflected on Bellary in Karnataka and Vedanta in Odisha. The later being cases directly associated to environment and people.

Everywhere it is people, mostly tribals, and its habitation that is grossly at stake. Land being categorized as non-renewable resource must have a comprehensive act. The Land acquisition act 1894 is British era act. Britishers wrote it for their own interests. Its like Conan, the barbarian.

Now India is a republic and largest democracy in the world. The act (land) has not been fortunate enough to seek amendments. Though it is not the case that the need to amend it has not been realized. But almost all ruling regimes ignored it to entertain the corporates.

Let me put forth one startling fact that our economic policy and acts are largely influenced by international players like World Bank, IMF, UN and Of course USA. Pick any policy, u will find their imprints.

Day by day cases related to land are cropping up and the violence, agitation that is perpetrated is reverberating in every nooks and crannies of the country. the day is not far when it will engulf the entire nation. The biggest threat is to the people and ultimately to the environment. When people are stressed due to their livelihood, it percolates to the environment.

There is urgent need for a comprehensive Land act that acknowledges development-induced displacement, Rehabilitation and Resettlement and the Govt should be liable to acquire the entire proportion of land instead of running the ratio 70:30. Every effort must be made to entertain the needful premises.

The regimes must remember that development is for the people, of the people and by the people like democracy, not against the people.

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