Maharashtra can use agriculture corporation's land for rehabilitation

Mumbai: In a bid to make rehabilitation of project-affected people (PAP) easy, the state legislature passed an amendment to Maharashtra Agriculture Lands (Ceiling on Holdings) Act 1961. The amendment will allow the state government to withdraw land from Maharashtra state farming corporation. The corporation currently owns 62,826 acres of land, of which 42,316 acres is surplus. The amendment in the act would now empower the state government to use the surplus land of the Corporation for the rehabilitation of project- affected people.

As per the Act, the state government can grant surplus land, which is taken over from the industrial undertakings to the corporation. “The surplus land, which was taken over from the various industrial undertakings, was granted to the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation Limited for cultivation and management. Under the amendment, the state government is empowered to withdraw such lands from the corporation and use it for the public purpose,” the act statement said.

The amendment was made after it was realised that various infrastructure projects need lands, which is not readily available. “The rehabilitation of the project-affected people is a difficult task,” an official said.

“In order to enable the state government to dispose of the lands of the Corporation for the rehabilitation of the project-affected persons,” revenue minister Chandrakant Patil said in the act statement. The amendment was passed without any discussion in the Assembly.