Gaurav Sharma

The situation is not as bad yet but Gujarat looks all set to get its own Nandigram and Singur. The Narendra Modi government is currently facing stiff resistance from villagers in at least five districts against its decision to hand over agricultural and grazing lands to industrial houses.

Without land, big projects will not take off.

AMIT AGNIHOTRI
The Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill 2007 might see some key changes in case the government agrees to modify it following the objections raised by railway minister and Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee.

Ms Banerjee, a key ally of the Congress in UPA-2, is pushing for three changes in the bill, which will amend the original Land Acquisition Act 1894, enacted during British rule.

PRANMOY BRAHMACHARI
BERHAMPORE, WEST BENGAL

India has lost a forest area of over 6.5 lakh hectares in the last three decades. Of this, 25,000 hectares of land was diverted per annum for infrastructural and other projects.

July 14: The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) has informed the AP High Court that 4,067 acres of forest land at Mamidipally and Kancha Imarath in Ranga Reddy district were de-reserved for non-forest purpose before the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 came into force.

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