Land Acquisition Bill: BKU (Mann) submits memorandum to Governor of Punjab

CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana units of Bharti Kisan Union (Mann) today opposed the Land Acquisition Bill proposed by the Central government and also demanded compensation for the damage caused to the crops in the recent rains and hailstorm.

A delegation of BKU led by its national president and chairman Bhupinder Singh Mann today submitted a memorandum to Governor of Punjab Kaptan Singh Solanki.

The delegation in its memorandum requested the Governor to take up their issues with the Central government to protect the interests of the farmers.

The memorandum said that the then Congress government in 2013 had enacted a new law, "Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act", which was a historic step in protecting the rights of the farmers.

"Modi government, within months of coming to power, stabbed the farmers in the back and has made changes in this law through an ordinance in a tearing hurry, just to please their corporate sponsors," the memorandum said.

"Modi govt has completely destroyed the basic spirit of the Land Acquisition Act, rendering it anti farmer," it said.

At the face of it, the Bill is aimed to grab land from the farmers, help land grabbers and fulfill their nefarious designs, denying farmers right to justice, to give free hand to officials of committing any offence in the Land Acquisition Act, allowing land grabbers to keep the land unutilised for as long as they wish, it said.

The delegation said there is a nationwide strong anguish among farmers against this sabotage of lawfully enacted law.

"BKU has always been against any move to ruin the Land Acquisition Act 2013," the memorandum said.

"Badal government in Punjab and Khattar government in Haryana are in full connivance with the Central government," it added.