West Bengal may buy land directly to assist industrial investors
The state government plans to purchase plots from landowners to provide contiguous parcels for companies, according to a report by Urban Acres.
The West Bengal government is preparing to take an active role in securing land for industrial investors by purchasing plots directly from landowners, according to a report by Urban Acres citing The Telegraph.
Under the proposed model, the state would buy land from owners to make parcels available to companies or assist those looking to buy land directly.
The policy marks a departure from the previous approach where the Trinamool Congress government asked investors to purchase land directly from farmers after coming to power in 2011.
The new policy is expected to be announced alongside the state's industrial incentive policy on November 5.
A senior official told The Telegraph that the proposed policy may include a more generous compensation package for landowners than the previous rate of 1.5 times the market rate.
The government also intends to include a separate rehabilitation framework for bargadars, or share-croppers, whose livelihoods may be affected by the change in land use.
A separate land policy containing details on compensation and rehabilitation is expected to be released at a later date.
One official cautioned that the direct-purchase route does not guarantee owners will agree to sell, which remains a difficulty for assembling contiguous land parcels.