LAND ACQUISITION VIS-À-VIS COMPENSATION MECHANISM: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO POWER SECTOR IN INDIA

Abstract

The year 1991 saw the New Economic Policy and brought a sea change in the State policy towards infrastructure development. The government realized that until and unless infrastructure is developed, economic growth cannot be achieved and this requires a huge investment. Therefore the infrastructure development was not left to be the forte of the government but private sector was also welcomed to invest in infrastructure. The government brought in many economic reforms and started heavy investments in development of infrastructure focusing on both the aspects of infrastructure; physical and social infrastructure. Numerous projects for construction of roads, airports, seaports, power plants, heavy industries etc. were launched. There were huge investments promised in the social infrastructure too but it seems to be a promise not kept. The most undesired approach which is felt is the government diverting from the socialistic approach, and though infrastructure development came but it also brought in issues of unpaid and dissatisfied people be it land oustees or project affected persons. This paper intends to focus upon the present scenario of land acquisition for the purpose of infrastructural development in India, the impediments and issues in such land acquisitions and concerns in compensation mechanisms with special reference to the power sector in India.