Videocon faces villagers’ ire over proposed SEZ

MUMBAI/PUNE: It is yet another instance of villagers refusing to pay the price of development. Close on the heels of the hostage crisis in Orissa where two officials of South Korean steel major POSCO were detained by angry villagers, violence errupted on Friday at Wagholi, a village about 20 kms from Pune,where electronics giant Videocon is setting up a 2,000-acre special economic zone. On Saturday, the situation was less tense, but visitors including journalists were questioned thoroughly by suspicious villagers who are refusing to part with their land.

Videocon is proposing to set up the SEZ at Wagholi and the land is to be acquired by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). Of late, the MIDC is moving cautiously. Following violent incidents, the MIDC has taken a consensual approach — talking to land owners and looking for ways to ensure their livelihood. The MIDC is also understood to have suggested to the companies setting up projects to undertake socio-economic surveys and then work out long-term employment prospectives of the residents.