Land Bill amendment passed

The Assembly on Tuesday passed the Odisha Consolidation of Holdings and Prevention of Fragmentation of Land (Amendment) Bill, 2012, with members of both Treasury and Opposition benches making a strong plea to the Government to ensure that agricultural land is not used for non-agricultural purposes.

“The amendment of the Odisha Consolidation of Holdings and Prevention of Fragmentation of Land Act, 1972, will pave the way for fragmentation of consolidated land covered under the Odisha Town Planning and Improvement Trust Act, 1956, or development plan published under the Odisha Development Authorities Act, 1982,” said Revenue and Disaster Management Minister SN Patro.

Moving the Bill, member-in-charge Patro said the law was enacted to prevent fragmentation of land for development of agriculture at a time when agriculture was the primary avocation of a large percentage of the population.

Increased urbanisation and the demand for more houses in urban centres covered under master plan of Town Planning and Improvement Trust or Development Authority has necessitated a change in the land holding pattern.

“Unless fragmentation of holding in such areas is allowed, expansion of urbanisation will get hampered resulting in hardship to the people for homestead land,” Patro said.

As per the Act, fragmentation of consolidated land is not permissible except by way of sale to the landowners of the adjacent ‘cahka’ or the Government. This restriction adversely affects the rights of the tenants for partition of the land or conversion of a part of the land for non-agricultural purpose, the Minister said.  Congress members, including Prasad Harichandan, Chakradhar Paik, Debi Prasanna Chanda, Rajendra Chhatria and Surendra Pramanik accused the Government of favouring the private builders by changing the laws.

Echoing similar sentiments, some ruling party members including Ananta Das, Amar Satpathy and Khageswar Behera urged the Government to ensure that agricultural land is not used for non-agricultural purposes.