Cong hints at a review of Centre's SEZ policy

NAINITAL: Congress president Sonia Gandhi indicated on Sunday that her party may seek a review of the norms governing land acquisition for setting up Special Economic Zones. This comes in the wake of criticism about the handing over of prime agriculture land to SEZ developers, triggering a farmer’s backlash in certain states, including Congress-ruled Haryana.

However, this reiteration was accompanied by a clarification on her part that neither she nor her party were against the setting up of SEZs.

A day after she told the Congress chief ministers that their governments should be sensitive to the problems of the farmers while diverting agriculture land for industry, Ms Gandhi, at a press conference on Sunday said: “This is something we discussed in the party.

We have also had a fairly good discussion on it over the last two days. No one is saying that the government should do away with SEZs. We are saying that it is necessary to be cautious while giving away prime agriculture land. It is necessary to think about the long-term effects. In no way are we saying that this should not be done.”

Ms Gandhi’s open concern for farmers displaced by industry-related activity has had its impact in the closed-door meeting of the chief ministers’ conclave. Many AICC functionaries sought explanations from the chief ministers of Haryana and Punjab, whose SEZ policy has been contested by their detractors within the party.

The AICC members at the Nainital meet are learnt to have forced a commitment from both Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Capt. Amarinder Singh that they will show sensitivity to the problems of the farmers while sanctioning SEZs.

After deliberations on the issue, the party leadership is also toying with the idea of demanding a cap or an upper limit for land allotments. In response, the chief ministers have sought additional packages from the Centre to help the farmers whose lands will be affected by the SEZ projects. However, both the chief ministers gave a promise to the party bosses that they will be careful to ensure that prime agriculture land is not affected.

Ms Gandhi had said on Saturday that prime agricultural land should not be normally diverted to non-agricultural uses. She had made a strong case for proper compensation, resettlement and rehabilitation for those who lose lose their land to such projects and had even suggested that farmers’ should be made stake-holders in the projects that come up on their land.

The Congress move could also put pressure on the Mulayam Singh government whose SEZ at Dadri has come under attack from the VP Singh-led Jan Morcha. It could also be a test for Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s SEZ drive in West Bengal.