Maharashtra may cancel Videocon SEZ project

Farmers force government hands to suspend land acquisitions.

Relenting to the stiff opposition from farmers, the Maharashtra government may be forced to cancel the proposed 4,500 acres special economic zone (SEZ) proposed by the Videocon Group, at Wagholi near Pune.

Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), the nodal agency for the project, has put on hold the land acquisition process and the state government is expected to announce a final decision within three weeks. The Videocon management however believes that all claims over scrapping of the SEZ are 'baseless'.

The Videocon SEZ project has remained under scanner right from the initial stages. The MIDC had initiated the land acquisition process for the SEZ in four villages, including Wagholi, Kesnand, Bakori and Loni Kand, located along Pune-Auragabad highway early this year. Farmers, who were against the forceful land acquisition for SEZ, had then beaten up two Videocon officials and an official from the Pune district administration. The farmers stuck to their stand and continuously opposed the SEZ proposal at various levels.

Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar told a delegation of farmers who met him recently that the state government was planning to scrap the Videocon SEZ project.

Member of Legislative Assembly Vilas Lande, representing farmers from the region, told Business Standard that Pawar had already spoken to Maharashtra industries' secretary V K Jairath over the issue and the necessary action would follow soon.

"Pawar has also asked farmers not to sell their land as the SEZ might not come up at the site," Lande stated.

Interestingly, the MIDC headquarters in Mumbai is yet to receive an intimation over the issue. MIDC CEO Rajiv Jalota told Business Standard that there has been no communication over the issue from the Pune District Collector's office.

The Pune district administration has confirmed that the process to re-instate names of farmers on the original 7/12 land ownership extract would begin in the near future.

"In the wake of the SEZ land acquisition process, MIDC's name was introduced on 7/12 extracts. However, the same would now be replaced by names of farmers who own the land," a top revenue department officer said.

Videocon CEO Venugopal Dhoot however asserted that the SEZ project was very much 'on'. "The discussion over government scrapping the SEZ is baseless. Hence, I do not want to react to rumours," Dhoot said.