Mangalore : The Citizens Forum in association with SDM College organized a consultation workshop on Land Acquisition Bill 2011 at SDM College Auditorium on August 25, Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion Natesh Ullal of Citizen forum said that many families have come on roads due to the land acquisition done by the government.

Due to the process of acquisition, the KAIDB through government has taken the land from the people who were against the projects and had spared the land of people who were in good means with them.

He also said that when large number of people had lost their lands through this system, some of the people had even taken opportunity to get as many facilities as possible. The private companies had made a tie with the children of land owners and taken the lands with the name of providing job.

Participating as the chief guest at the workshop on Draft Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill 2011, Bangalore based lawyer cum activist Cliffton D Rosario said that large number of men and women across the country came on streets to fight against these private land acquiring companies. Most of the people raise their question demanding the right provided to the government in acquiring their personal lands.

Speaking about statute passed in the year 1894, states about land acquisition, rehab and resettlement bill. This is about the compensation given to the people whose land has been acquired.

He also said that Karnataka has the law called Rehabilitation statute, but it has not been used to present day and any of the people hardly know about it. This statute applies to the entire notion for the public purpose and not stated that even private companies can acquire land through government.

Today Government is doing the job of acquiring the land from public for private companies. The people before handing over the land to the companies for the project must think about its effect for the communities.

Defining the public purposes, he said that the land can be only acquired from the people if it is used for defense purpose, infrastructure purpose, and rehabilitation purpose and not later used to sell it for private companies.

Criticizing the National Advisory Council Board led by Sonia Gandhi, he said that she had advised the government nit to mention the public purpose; but must try to convince the people to give away their land.