Land Acquisition in Karnataka

Land is one of the scarce natural resources on earth. It is not possible to either increase or decrease the land. Hence, it must be ensured that it is managed judiciously and in a sustainable manner so that the common good of the people in a long run can be ensured. Creating wealth and looking after welfare of the citizens is difficult without the economic and infrastructural development. But the development at the cost of individual rights cannot be accepted as development in true sense. That means the individual rights need to be protected in economic development. In general, land is acquired for economic development resulting in displacement of the people. Hence the important thing is that large-scale displacements should be minimized to the extent possible and if the displacement cannot be stopped then there is a need to handle it with utmost care. In fact, the terms ‘minimum displacement’ and ‘non-displacing alternative’ are music to the ears, but not so easy a task to ensure. Fixation of adequate compensation to the land-losers can be one of the best ways to ensure minimum displacement in the sense that the displaced person will always be in a position to buy an alternative land for him