Government is expected to clear 'very soon' a new rehabilitation and resettlement policy and a legislation on the issue while effecting changes in the Land Acquisition Act, Congress President Sonia Gandhi announced on Wednesday.
In an apparent reference to Nandigram and incidents in Haryana and certain other places, she said in the past few months, issues related to special economic zones have come into prominence in some states leading to violence and tragic consequences.
"Our party's position is very clear. Land acquisition for these SEZs, like indeed for any economic activity, must be done in a transparent manner," she said addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting in New Delhi.
Land acquisition must be transparent: Sonia
Gandhi said government was 'working on a new rehabilitation and resettlement policy, a new resettlement and rehabilitation Bill and on amendments to the existing Land Acquisition Act. All these three are expected to be cleared very soon'.
Emphasising that land acquisition must be done in a manner that fully protected the interests of farmers and of those whose livelihoods were dependent on the lands being acquired, she said keeping this in view, the empowered group of ministers headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had only cleared those SEZs where fresh land acquisition was not required or where land acquisition had already taken place.
On concerns over rising prices, she said while government steps to control prices of essential commodities were having some impact, "we must maintain the closest vigil on them".
