Medha to launch anti-SEZ stir

Describing SEZs as 'special exploitation zones', the Narmada Bachao Andolan leader and the convener of the National Alliance of People's Movement Medha Patkar urged the Centre to stop setting up SEZs .

Condemning the government for its SEZ initiatives, she said the concessions and sops on 21 counts given to the companies operating in various SEZs would throw the Indian economy out of gear.

Interacting with the media here, she said there was no reason why the country should lose revenues to the tune of Rs 4 lakh crore on tax concessions and holidays.

Placed against the overall perspective, all the benefits would go to the giant corporations in India and the MNCs, she said, adding that the SEZs would not help in the development of the rural and semi-urban areas. The proposed SEZs would worsen the living conditions of the poor, who form the majority of the country's population, she said.

She also cautioned against handing over the country's retail trading network on a platter to the Ambanis and others.

Outfits like the National Federation of Hawkers and Vendors, the National Federation of Unorganised Workers, Karnataka Rajyath Kisan Sammelan and the National Fish Workers Forum, among others, were already airing their protests over the matter, Patkar said.

She said the impacts of the Sethu Samudram project was assessed dispassionately.

Earlier, addressing the members of the Unorganised Workers' Federation here, she called for the cooperation of federation members and other NGOs in making the people's movement meet, to be held on March 19 in New Delhi, a success.