Centre empowers LG Ladakh to exercise powers under Land Act

MHA issues notification

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, June 29: President Ram Nath Kovind today empowered the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Union Territory Radha Krishna Mathur to exercise the powers of appropriate Government under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
A notification to this effect has been issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs after approval of the President of India.
The Union Home Ministry notification empowered the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh to discharge functions of the appropriate under the central Land Acquisition Law.
“In pursuance of Clause (1) of Article 239 of the Constitution, the President hereby directs that the Lieutenant Governor of the Union territory of Ladakh shall, subject to the control of the President and until further orders, also exercise the powers and discharge the functions of the appropriate Government under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (30 of 2013) within the Union territory,” read the notification.
The powers were delegated to the Lieutenant Government as under the Land Acquisition Law, powers of acquiring land in UTs are vested with the Central Government.
After reorganization of the erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir, the Central Land Acquisition Act was amended in March 2020 through Section 96 of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act-2019 to empower the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to acquire land for projects within the UT.
Provisions of the Act relating to land acquisition, compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement applies when the appropriate Government acquires land for its own used, hold and control including for Public Sector Undertakings and for public purpose.
The purposes include strategic relating to Naval, Military, Air Force and Armed Forces of the Union including Central paramilitary forces or any work vital to national security or defence of India or State police, safety of the people, for infrastructure projects etc.
The projects involved agro-processing, supply of inputs to agriculture, warehousing, cold storage facilities, marketing infrastructure for agriculture and allied activities such as dairy, fisheries and meat processions, set up or owned by the appropriate Government or by the farmers’ cooperative or by an institution set up under a Statue.
The projects also include industrial corridors or mining activities, national investment and manufacturing zones as designated in the National Manufacturing Policy besides Government aided educational and research schemes or institutions, sports, healthcare, tourism, transportation or space programme.