House panel meeting ends as MPs object to Patkar, Raj’s presence

Representatives of the department of land resources (ministry of rural development); ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC); ministry of tribal affairs; non-government organisations (NGOs), experts; and other stakeholders were to speak before the parliamentary standing committee on rural development and panchayati Raj on the implementation and effectiveness of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, a person privy to the detail said on condition of anonymity.

“When the proceedings were about to begin, some members objected to the presence of Patkar and Raj, pointing out that they had not been informed about their presence,” the person cited above said. “Then 11 MPs, mostly from the NDA, walked out and in the absence of quorum, the meeting was cancelled and is likely to be held on July 14.”

The person said some NDA members particularly objected to the presence of Patkar, citing her role in the Narmada Bachao campaign. “They felt she was responsible for trying to block the Narmada project which would have left one-third of Gujarat parched and drought affected…” the person said.