Reliance in hurry on SEZs: officials

Reliance Industries is in too much of a hurry on its special economic zone (SEZ) projects, if the Maharashtra government officials are to be believed.

Land acquisition is always a touchy issue and the company could have tried to demonstrate what it could do through an SEZ, they said.

Senior state government officials said that the company could have first developed the 4,000-hectare Navi Mumbai SEZ, which is being developed in partnership with the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco). Land acquisition is not an issue in this SEZ project as the land is already with Cidco.

The company could have showcased the SEZ to show how such mega projects can bring prosperity to a region and also create jobs for the local population. This could have reduced the general concern among farmers over the 10,000- hectare Mahamumbai SEZ.

A senior executive of the Mahamumbai SEZ said, "We consider the suggestion as having come from our well-wishers. But such large-scale projects cannot be completed in a haphazard manner.

Reliance is developing two such projects - Navi Mumbai and Mahamumbai SEZ. Unlike the former, the Mahamumbai SEZ requires 10,000 hectares.

The matter of land acquisition has always been a sensitive issue among locals, NGOs and political parties, and the violence in Nandigram has only made matters worse. The state Congress has already opposed land acquisition following which the state government has stopped the process.

The process itself is time-consuming. So far, only notices have been served under the Land Acquisition Act. The next stage is giving the people an opportunity to respond to the notices.

Subsequently, the land acquisition authority (district collector) will have to declare an award based on the objections raised by the people concerned. The process does not end here: Land owners have the right to challenge the award in court.

Sources in the state Congress committee, which looked into the issue, said that most farmers can earn Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 per month per acre (Reliance has offered Rs 10 lakh per acre) by leasing out their land to container depots.

They are getting good returns from their land because of the proximity of these villages to the JNPT port.

"If Reliance still wants the land, they should offer Rs 3 crore per acre, the rate at which state-owned Cidco is offering plots to developers in the same area."