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Raigad farmers vote against SEZ
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Raigad_farmers_vote_against_SEZ/articleshow/3510483.cms
MUMBAI: In the first-ever referendum in the country involving farmers, more than 6,000 land-owners from 22 Raigad villages made their views on a special economic zone known on Sunday.
Judging by the mood of the farmers in the command area of the Hetwane irrigation dam, it appears that the Reliance group will have its task cut out to acquire land for its multi-crore SEZ project in the Konkan area.
Of the 10,000 hectares of land required for one of the biggest SEZs in the country, nearly 3,000 hectares of land lie in 22 villages in the Hetwane dam area.
There are 131 SEZs in Maharashtra which are slated to attract an investment of Rs 1.35 lakh crore and generate 60 lakh jobs. Although Mukesh Ambani's Reliance group claims to have offered a lucrative compensation package to the Raigad land-owners, resentment runs deep in the local communities.
Whether it is Sadashiv Mhatre from Mothe Bhal village, former sarpanch Ranjana Mhatre or Arun Mhatre from the neighbouring Vashi village, their views are identical. "Don't ever make an attempt to bribe us. Even if Reliance offers us Rs one crore per hectare, we will not part with our land for the SEZ project. We are determined to ensure that the SEZ project does not come up in the Konkan belt. Our motto is 'SEZ hatao, Konkan bachao'," Sadashiv Mhatre said immediately after submitting his opinion in the Mothe Bhal zilla parishad school.
Following directives of the state government, Raigad collector Nipun Vinayak had asked the farmers in the 22 villages to submit their opinion in writing on whether they wished to sell their land for the SEZ project.
The opinion basically comprised four lines saying, "The farmer does not want to part with his land for the project...and the government should forthwith withdraw the notices issued under the Land Acquisition Act for acquisition of land."
Vinayak said his office had issued notices to 30,057 account holders in the area, out of which 6,199 account holders submitted their opinion. "It does not mean that nearly 24,000 account holders did not submit their opinion. When it comes to agricultural land, one person may hold more than three to four accounts. Therefore, the exact number of farmers who have made their decision clear will only be known later," he said.
As the farmers thronged the 23 zilla parishad schools earmarked for the referendum, there was some commotion at the Vashi centre as the competent authority declined to acknowledge the receipt of the opinion. The issue was resolved only after the intervention of Nipun Vinayak, who assured the farmers that a joint acknowledgement would be given at each centre.
Surprisingly, even those farmers who had surrendered part of their land for the SEZ project have now changed their mind and submitted anti-SEZ opinions. On Sunday, when more than 100 representatives of the media toured the 22 villages, they found that most farmers were dead set against the SEZ project.
It was a month ago that CM Vilasrao Deshmukh had promised the anti-SEZ committee led by N D Patil, former tehsildar Subhash Mhatre and activist Vaishali Patil that his government would consider their demand to cry halt to the acquisition of land. It was then proposed that the government hold a referendum for purpose. The CM quickly accepted the proposal and asked the forest department and the Raigad collector to prepare an action plan.
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