Noida: Following allegations of a major farmhouse scam in Noida, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, has ordered an investigation into the scheme launched by the Noida Authority in 2009. In a letter addressed to the Noida Authority chairman Rakesh Bahadur, the government has directed him to submit a report within a week. The report will deal mainly on three important points — land acquisition, allotment rate and the procedure of allotment of the farms. The scheme allegedly led to a loss of nearly Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer.

Govt will not be able to acquire land for PPP infrastructure projects and private businesses, if House panel recommendations are accepted in proposed bill
Aparliamentary panel on Tuesday proposed tougher norms for acquiring land for industrial use, as it finalised the new Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill.

JODHPUR: The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday ordered halting of all mining activities in the Beri Ganga forest land, which had badly affected the catchment area of the Bal Samand Lake and its feeder canal having a length of 10 km. The court also said that the district collector, police and officials of forests and mining departments would be responsible if any mining takes place in the area in future.

New Delhi The Parliament's standing committee on rural development has recommended a widening of the ambit of the Land Acquisition Bill, 2011, to include highways, nuclear plants, mines and special economic zones (SEZ).

Since much of the land acquisition for public purpose under the proposed law expected in mining, power and other infrastructure sectors, these exemptions needed to be removed, the committee felt.

KOZHIKODE: The latest series of land agitations started by the tribal people in Wayanad district on May 7 has intensified with more vested forest lands being encroached on Monday. New encroachments of forest lands by erecting huts under the aegis of Adivasi Congress, the tribal arm of the Congress, have been reported from Thavinchal 44, Kaithakolli Vattikunnu near Mananthavady.

A total of 200 acres of land, which includes Revenue, Forest and Devaswom land, was encroached by around 170 Paniya families at Edapetti.

A full bench of the Allahabad High Court on Monday upheld its judgement quashing land acquisition in some villages of Gautam Buddh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh for development of Noida, Greater Noida and Noida Extension and ordered greater compensation for landowners.

The bench comprising justices Ashok Bhushan, S.U. Khan and V.K. Shukla passed the order while turning down review petitions of Noida Authority and Greater Noida Authority and a number of farmers who were dissatisfied with the judgement delivered by a three-judge bench on October 21, 2011.

the cultivable land in the country has come down to 182.5 million hectares during 2009-10 compared to 182.7 million tonnes during 2005-06

Agriculture experts expressed concerns over shrinking of farm land by nearly 0.2 million hectares and suggested enacting strong legislation to stop shifting of land for non-farming purposes. According to government statistics, the cultivable land in the country has come down to 182.5 million hectares during 2009-10 compared to 182.7 million tonnes during 2005-06.

Special bench headed by Chief Justice asks for report by Aug 3, asks AP govt to co-operate in investigations

In a setback to former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, the Supreme Court today directed a CBI probe against him for allegedly granting undue favours to firms involved in illegal mining in lieu of donations to a charitable trust run by his kin. A Special Forest bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia directed the probe agency to carry out the probe uninfluenced by the stature of the person and political clout and corporates involved in the case and file its report by August 3.

AHMEDABAD: A day after the Gujarat high court held all constructions at the Adani Port & Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) in Kutch illegal in absence of environment clearance, the same bench on Thursday stayed construction activities in 7,000 hectare area. However, this halt order is conditional and temporary.

A PIL was filed by advocate Hashim Qureshi claiming that the Kutch district collector on July 15, 2005, allotted 7,000 hactare land in a single day by passing 26 orders simultaneously for the purpose of development of SEZ.