-after marathon session
By Khadidja Ba
A bill brought by the state to speed the acquisition of land for public purposes was passed yesterday after a marathon parliamentary session that saw exchanges over the ancestral lands of African Guyanese and fierce heckling from both sides.
The National Assembly’s 90th sitting eventually passed the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes Amendment Bill 2024 No. 16/2024 at 8:45 p.m., following a day-long session that stretched from 10:33 a.m. The government used its majority to pass the bill while the opposition voted solidly against it.
Clause 2 of the Bill will amend section 7 (1) of the Principal Act by firstly providing that the vesting of the compulsorily acquired land in the State is subject to the prompt payment of the purchase money or of any adequate compensation. Secondly, the proposed amendment amends subsection (1) to guarantee the State’s right to vacant possession of the land that is compulsorily acquired.