Free Govt-led infra projects from new Land Acquisition Act: DIPP.

To avoid delays in large-scale projects, such as industrial corridors and national highways, the Commerce and Industry Ministry has proposed that Government-led infrastructure projects be kept out of the ambit of the new Land Acquisition Act.

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, in a submission to the Rural Development Ministry, has said that provisions such as mandatory consent of project-affected people for land acquisition should not apply to infrastructure projects where the Government has a stake.

'Acquiring land for projects such as roads, railway and ports has come to a halt since the new Land Acquisition Act was implemented early this year.

'If we do not exclude Government-led projects from the ambit of the Act, our ambitious plans to build and upgrade infrastructure across the country will be stuck,' a Government official told Business Line.

HBL