Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has announced that his government would withdraw proposed changes to land laws in the eastern Indian state.

Opposition parties and tribal members of Das’ Bharatiya Janata Party have opposed the proposed amendments to the Chotangapur Tenancy Act (CNT) and the Santhal Pargana Act (SPT).

The decision to withdraw the amendment was taken on June 3 after consensus eluded a meeting of the Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC), headed by Chief Minister, in the state capital of Ranchi.

Earlier on June 25, Jharkhand Governor Draupdi Murmu returned the amendments. “How the amendments will benefit the tribal people?” she asked.

“The state government has agreed to withdraw Section 21 of CNT and Section 13 of SPT,” the chief minister told reporters after the meeting. The referred sections pertain to the nature of land.

He said the opposition parties and those opposing development have created confusion over the amendments. “The state government will consider the concern raised by the governor while returning the amendments. We will study the 192 points raised before the governor with regard to the proposed amendments and in future take any decision considering the views of the people.”

The next meeting of advisory committee has been scheduled for August 3.

In November 2016, the Jharkhand government had forwarded the proposed amendments to the governor for her assent, after getting those passed in the state assembly.

The BJP government had managed to pass the amendment bills by voice vote amid stiff protests from the opposition parties in the assembly. The angry opposition members while resisting the amendments had even misbehaved with Speaker Dinesh Oraon when the bills were tabled.

Apart from the opposition parties, the changes to the acts were also opposed by ruling alliance partner All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and even by some BJP legislators and Lok Sabha members.

The governor had kept the legislations on hold since November last year. The opposition parties, Cardinal Telesphore Toppo and other tribal leaders, had separately met the governor and requested her not to clear the amendment bills.

After the amendments are effected, an agriculture land could be used for non-agricultural purpose. The amendments propose that the land could be acquired for development work, infrastructure and other such works by the state government.

Source: Business Standard