Alleging that land has been acquired at prices much lower than the market rate, activists have filed 30 applications seeking information on upcoming SEZs

Activists from all over the country came together in Pune, on May 15, to review the explosive issue of acquiring farmland for industry in India. They said they would use the Right to Information (RTI) Act to uncover irregularities in the land procurement process.

Over the past week alone there have been at least two stormy incidents of protest over land acquisition. In Orissa, angry villagers in Govindpur village, Dinkia, eventually released two Indian executives of the Korean steelmaker POSCO, on May 13, following an assurance that its staff would not visit the area.

In Maharashtra, farmers beat up Haveli tehsildar Sanjiv Deshmukh and officials of the Videocon company, blocking traffic along the Pune-Ahmednagar highway to protest against the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and Videocon joint venture for the multi-purpose Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Haveli taluka.

It is believed that the villagers were enraged because the land was irrigated and they fear that Rs 200 crore has been earmarked for its acquisition. Farmers from the adjoining areas of Kesnand, Bakori and Lonikand have already set up action committees to oppose land acquisition. Of the 234 SEZs approved in the country, Maharashtra has 71.

Activists who met in Pune include veteran social activist Anna Hazare, Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, and Aruna Roy of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghatan. Roy said that the Right to Information (RTI) Act would be applied to put the stark reality of the situation before the nation. Alleging that there had been large-scale irregularities, with farmland acquired at prices much below the market rate, Roy said that at least 30 applications had been filed seeking information.

Patkar, who visited Wagholi where an agitation against the Haveli taluka SEZ is underway, said that the state government was acquiring farmland despite a directive from the Centre against forced takeovers. She said the issue was not just about SEZs but also IT parks.

In Orissa, POSCO needs 4,000 acres for its project but has bought just over a quarter of that amount. Activists say the planned $ 12 billion plant -- India's single largest foreign investment project -- could displace around 20,000 people. The government says the plant will affect only 500 families and create thousands of jobs. It adds that it has come up with a good rehabilitation package, offering cash and a job for at least one member of each family that loses its land.

Meanwhile, POSCO says the company is ready to "forego" land in volatile areas of Orissa and look for alternative sites. "It is now up to the district administration to provide us alternative land for the project which is very much on," said POSCO spokesperson Shashanka Pattnaik to the media.

The Orissa government says it is still serious about pushing the POSCO project through, but will consider the South Korean firm's decision not to acquire land disputed by local villagers.

Source: Reuters News Service, May 2007
India Abroad News Services, May 2007
www.hindustantimes.com, May 15, 2007