SEZs in Haryana were floated only to grab land at throwaway prices: Birender Singh

Out of 37 SEZs for which land was acquired after the notifications under section 4 and selection 6 of the Land Acquisition Act only 6 are functional, he adds

The special Economic Zones (SEZs) approved during the Congress regime in Haryana in the past few years were only a modus operandi to grab the farmers’ land at throwaway prices. The Union Minister of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Birender Singh, while speaking in Chandigarh today remarked that CLUs (change of land use) in Bhupinder Singh Hooda Government in Haryana were granted in a clandestine way.

 
“Though a minister in Hooda Government, I was not in loop as the decisions on CLUs were taken by a team of select officials and the Chief Minister”, said Singh who remained the Finance Minister in Hooda Government in Haryana.

According to Singh, out of 37 SEZs (for which land was acquired after the notifications under section 4 and selection 6 of the Land Acquisition Act) only 6 are functional. A total of 78,695 acre land was acquired in the ten year regime of Hooda Government and out of this 19,309 acre was released to third parties denying farmers their fair share.
 

The ownerships changed hands so many times that 175 CLUs were given for the release of the land acquired at rock bottom prices and sold at exorbitant prices, Singh added.
 

Reliance Industries acquired about 3,500 acres of land on its own for the SEZ that was not surrendered, he said.

In four districts (Gurgaon, Faridabad, Rohtak and Sonepat), 4,636 acres, that were acquired after the notification was issued under land acquisition act sections 4 and 6 was released. The Haryana Government led by the BJP should do detailed enquiries of the land transactions in the past ten years, he added.
 

Haryana is already under the CBI scanner for the acquisition of 400 acre land in Gurgaon during 2004-07 where land was acquired by the builders after land acquisition notification for setting up an Industrial Model Township.