KOLKATA: West Bengal intends to amend the existing land legislation to facilitate acquisition for industry, commerce and infrastructure development.

The proposed West Bengal Land Reforms (Amendment) Bill, 2006, will be sent to the Assembly's select committee on land and land reforms on Monday. The Government wants to table the Bill in the next session.

Land required for industrialisation would not be available without the necessary amendments. "The process of industrialisation, which is going to be accelerated, will continue," Biman Bose, chairman of the Left Front committee, said here.

Mr. Bose said the matter was discussed at a Left Front meeting earlier in the day, and there was unanimity on the need for the amendments. "There was some difference of opinion on the nomenclature of the amendments, for which the Bill will be sent to the select committee."

He ruled out any "basic differences" between the CPI (M) and Left Front partners. "What have been asked for [by some constituents] are certain modifications in language and [clarifications on] definitions."

Minister for Land and Land Reforms Abdur Rezzak Molla, who is also chairman of the select committee, said one of the proposed amendments stated that land, if acquired, would have to be utilised for setting up industry or commerce or infrastructure within three years; else it could be re-claimed by the State Government.

In the Assembly, he said there was no alternative but to acquire at least some agricultural land as nearly 63 per cent of the land in the State fell under that category. Notices for the acquisition of 43,180 acres of agricultural land had been issued by the Government even as steps were being taken to convert large tracts of non-agricultural land into farmland.

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