CRDA bill in winter session

CRDA bill in winter session
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Highlights

Ahead of the winter session of the State Assembly scheduled from December 18, the State government has directed officials to give final touches to the Capital Regional Development Authority (CRDA) bill to get it passed in the coming session.

Hyderabad: Ahead of the winter session of the State Assembly scheduled from December 18, the State government has directed officials to give final touches to the Capital Regional Development Authority (CRDA) bill to get it passed in the coming session.

  • It relates to acquisition of lands between Vijayawada and Guntur to build capital city
  • Government abandons its plan to issue ordinance lest it may get caught in legal tangle

According to sources, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Assembly will meet before the beginning of session on December 18. Besides taking up condolence motions for the MLAs, who have recently passed away, the State government is likely to introduce the CRDA Bill on the first day. The final decision, however, will be taken during the BAC meeting.

The Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department is fine-tuning the act. Though the government at first thought of promulgating an ordinance, it decided to go in for legislation as GO could get caught in legal tangle, if anyone approaches the court. According sources, the government wants to give legal sanctity to the CRDA as it was done in the case of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA). The act will define the functions and will empower the government to take forward the land pooling policy in the CRDA area. Even the issues related to town planning and other civic infrastructure development falls under the CRDA jurisdiction.

The CRDA will also have to issue the Land Pooling Ownership Certificates (LPOC) to the owners who would give away their agricultural lands for the capital city as part of the land pooling policy. Another important aspect is that though the government could get consent from the farmers owning lands in the CRDA, it was not in a position to adopt the same method in case of about 750 acres of endowment lands. For, neither the endowment commissioner, executive officer nor the temple boards could issue consent for land pooling. This was, due to the ban by the high court following indiscriminate alienation of temple lands by successive governments.

Currently, the district collectors are reportedly filing an affidavit, and depending on the reasons and purpose cited for the acquisition the courts were granting permissions, for the alienation of temple lands. But, in case of CRDA the government there is no one who is competent to give consent for the land pooling of endowment lands. As a result the government will have to go in for land acquisition in case of temple lands under the CRDA area.

If it has to go for land acquisition, first it will have to notify to the district collector. The district collector in turn would file an affidavit citing the purpose for the land acquisition. Even if the courts permit for alienation of land, as per the new land accusation act, the government will have to pay compensation to the temple lands according to the market rate, sources add.

By:VRC Phaniharan

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