Ever since India enacted the new land acquisition law in 2013, people have been debating its clauses related to repatriation of acquired but unused land. Does land acquired for ‘public purpose’ remain in the government’s custody endlessly, or can it be restored to its original owners? What happens when compensation has been paid, but people are still tilling their land? What if only 50 percent of the land acquired is being used and the remainder has just been fenced off?
These are only a few of several scenarios that have come to light while interacting with. . .
