For over a century the colonial Land Acquisition Act of 1894 let the state take land for a public purpose with limited compensation, a power central to dams, industry and urban expansion and to bitter displacement conflicts. The 2013 Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act replaced it, mandating higher compensation, social-impact assessment, consent thresholds and rehabilitation. Land acquisition remains one of the most contested arenas of Indian urban and infrastructure development.
Acquisition law governs how the state assembles land for cities and infrastructure and sits at the heart of displacement politics.
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