Mahesh Kulkarni / Chennai/ Bangalore Jul 06, 2009, 00:43 IST
The Mangalore Special Economic Zone Limited (MSEZL) is facing stiff opposition from the landholders who are resisting acquisition of their lands.
MSEZ Limited, a joint venture between the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), India’s largest oil producer, and the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) and infrastructure financing firm, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services, which has already seen a delay of over one year, is likely to be further delayed due to non-availability of the land required for the expansion.
As a statutory requirement, any multi-product SEZ needs to have at least 2,500 acres. At present, MSEZL has acquired 1,800 acres in the first phase for around Rs 700 crore. It has now notified another 2,000 acres in the villages of Permude, Kuthethoor, Tenka Ekkaru and Delanthabetta near Mangalore. The main argument of the landholders is that the compensation amount announced by the company is far below the market prices. Hardly 11 per cent of the land notified is agriculture land.
I S N Prasad, managing director, MSEZ Limited said, the company has got a written consent from farmers for about 800 acres and the joint measurement survey is being conducted for that land. Another 300 acres is with the state government and “there will be no problem in acquiring this land,” he said.
“Some of the landholders are ready to sell their land, while many others are asking for a higher compensation. We have paid a compensation of Rs 8.5-9 lakh per acre in the first phase. Now, farmers are asking for Rs 14-15 lakh. We are considering the proposal to increase compensation. But, cannot double the compensation money,” he told Business Standard.
Going by the present pace of land acquisition, the conversion of MSEZL into a multi-product SEZ will be delayed further. “We would have completed the process of developing this into a multi-product SEZ much earlier, but for the delay in land acquisition. The declaration of the SEZ as a multi-product SEZ is still far away as we are yet to even apply for the official status. We can do it only when we get 2,500 acres of land,” Prasad said.
Till today, MSEZL has spent close to Rs 700 crore, about 45 per cent of the cost of the project. In the first phase land has been allotted to companies like Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited for their refinery expansion, OMPL (ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals Ltd) and Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) for development of petrochemical industries.
MRPL has taken around 250 acres at the SEZ to expand their refinery for an investment of Rs 12,000 crore, OMPL has got 450 acres to set up an aromatics complex at Rs 6,800 crore investment.
SEZ are ruining the nation, the Mangalore SEZ will destroy hundredds of acres of precious agro/plantation/coconut/fruit and other agro based lands. The small amount the farmers get, but SEZ people they will sell it 100 times more and mint money. The various crop production pattern will be destroyed by this acquistion. One SEZ will create more greed for this hungry land sharks and they want more. Bangalore city lost 30,000 acres agro lands from 1960 onwards and today all vegetables/flowers/fruits etc. is so costly in Bangalore. Coconut the staple crop of Managlore will one day have to be imported if this mad SEZ policy is encouraged in coasatl belt. God Save us from this Hitlers of Modern India SEZ
Posted by: Nithya
November 15 , 2009, 20:55 IST
The Land sharks are so influential, they even buy local leaders.The sad part is,what are the Swamijis of Udupi and other parts are doing?Are they interested only in faraway Ayodhya Temple or local environment.
Content Guide
