SEZ & the state: House panel smells a rat

MUMBAI: The parliamentary panel on special economic zones (SEZ) on Thursday admitted that farmers in the state are unanimous in their stand against SEZs. It also took note of the impression among the masses that the government machinery may be acting hand in glove with the promoters of these zones.

In a significant development on Thursday, BJP MP and convenor of the parliamentary panel on SEZs, Kashiram Rana, acknowledged here that “there is a unanimous sentiment among farmers against SEZs and land acquisition”. Five members of the seven-member panel were in Mumbai to hear out SEZ-affected people.

Mr Rana told reporters after the meeting with the farmers that they were strongly opposed to parting with their land to which they are sentimentally attached. “It’s a very valid feeling. Attachment to land is very important and farmers are commonly against parting with the land that has fed generations. Farmers we heard here expressed this sentiment very patiently,” the BJP MP from Gujarat said.

Mr Rana, former textile minister in the Union cabinet, also conceded that another commonly-held notion by farmers is government officials associated with implementation of the SEZ policy are “hand in glove” with SEZ developers.

“There is this impression among people that government officials are working in favour of developers,” Mr Rana said. He, however, refused to reveal further, saying the panel would put its findings in the final report that would be presented in Parliament during the Budget session.

Given the sensitivity of the matter, the statements by Mr Rana assume much significance. The panel in Mumbai on Thursday gave an audience to the agitated people from Raigad district where Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL)is putting in place the largest SEZ in the country — MahaMumbai SEZ — on close to 11,696 hectares of land.

The project would displace around one lakh people from 45 villages in Pen, Khalapur and Uran Tehsils of the district. The panel lent its ear to SEZ-affected people from Nashik and Pune district as well.

“In some places, notices have been served under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act. Some sections of the people even said they would go to any extent if coercive means are used to acquire land. Fishermen, 40,000-50,000 of them, are against parting with their land on the ground that no industry can be developed in the coastal zone,” Mr Rana said.

On Friday, the parliamentary panel would tour some of the villages where land is being acquired for MahaMumbai SEZ, Mr Rana said. The panel has already visited Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana in this regard.