Sonia hints at new law to acquire land for SEZs

New Delhi, May 16: Stressing the need for transparency in acquiring land for developing SEZs, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today indicated that the Government would soon come out with a new rehabilitation and resettlement policy and Land Acquisition Act.

''Our Government is working on a new rehabilitation and resettlement policy, a new resettlement and rehabilitation Bill and on amendments to the existing Land Acquisition Act,'' Ms Gandhi said, adding that all these three were expected to be cleared very soon.

Addressing a General Body Meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party(CPP)here, the Congress President noted that in the past few months issues related to the SEZs had shot to infamy in some states, leading to violence and tragic consequences.

Explaining her party's position on the issue, she said land acquisition for these SEZs, ''like indeed for any activity'', must be done in a transparent manner. It must also be done in a manner that fully protected the interests of farmers and of those whose livelihoods were dependent on the pieces of land being acquired.

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, Ms Gandhi said.

UNI