No forcible acquisition of land for SEZ: Deshmukh

Anti-SEZ activists have launched an indefinite hunger strike from Thursday in Pen in the Raigad district demanding scrapping of land acquisition process.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh while intervening in the discussion on the SEZs in the state assembly on Thursday said, "If promoters of special economic zone (Reliance Industries) and farmers don't reach a negotiated settlement within the timeframe prescribed under the Land Acquisition Act (1894), then the process of land acquisition lapses and the project gets scrapped automatically."

According to some legal experts, this means Reliance has around two years to reach an agreement with each farmer from whom it wants to acquire the land.

The Reliance Industries-promoted Mumbai SEZ is spread over 10,000 hectares in three tehsils of Raigad district, which covers 45 villages.

Earlier, while replying to a discussion, industry minister Ashok Chavan and revenue minister Narayan Rane clarified that as per the central government's directives, state government would not take any action after serving notices under Section 6 A of the Land Acquisition Act. Under this Section, an award (price of land) was declared by the land acquisition authority. Both the minister insisted that no final award would be declared and land compulsorily acquired from farmers against their wish.

However, Peasant and Workers Party (PWP) MLA Ganpatrao Deshmukh insisted on clarification from the government on whether the government was going to scrap the notices issued for land acquisition or put an stay to these notices.

The chief minister said, "If a farmer doesn't wish, his land will not be acquired for the SEZ project." And there was no question of withdrawing the notices issued under section 6 A of the Act as the central government had allowed to move till the stage of serving notices under such section. But if promoters of SEZ and farmers didn't reach an agreement on the compensation package in a time frame prescribed under the Act, then the whole process gets lapsed and the project gets scrapped automatically, he added.

As then government will have to start the whole land acquisition process again.

When contacted, Mumbai SEZ Pvt Ltd's officials declined to make any comments and said, "till the time we get an official communication from the government, it will not be possible for the company to speak on this issue. According to our knowledge, land acquisition process is on."