The Union Ministry of Commerce has released a series of guidelines, which seek to partially relax land acquisition norms for SEZs by state governments.
As per the new set of guidelines, released on 18 August 2009, states will be allowed to acquire land for SEZs if land owners have withdrawn or not filed objections towards the move. At the same time, the landowners will also have to give their consent to state governments. In April 2007, an empowered group of ministers had banned compulsory acquisition of land by state governments for SEZs amidst mass protests in Maharashtra and West Bengal.
The new guidelines also reaffirm that if owners have any objections to the acquisition of land by states for SEZs, the inter-ministerial board of approval on SEZs will not consider such cases.
Source : ProjectsToday
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