Videocon SEZ decision to affect other SEZs

Maharashtra government's decision to stay the land acquisition process for Videocon's SEZ at Wagholi, near Pune, would affect the land acquisition process for other SEZs in the state, according to senior state officials.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and other ministers like to boast that out of 450 SEZs coming up in the country nearly 120 are coming up in Maharashtra. However, since most of the SEZs are single product or IT SEZ, land acquisition is not much of an issue.

But in the case of six SEZs, which are multi-product SEZs and where over 1,000 hectares have to be acquired, it is proving to be an albatross around the state government's neck.

These six SEZs include Reliance Industries promoted Mumbai SEZ in Raigad district where 10,000 hectares of land needs to be acquired, Videocon promoted two SEZs which will be coming up over 2,500 hectare and 1,000 hectare at Aurngabad and Pune respectively.

Mahindra and Mahindra's SEZ at Karle in Pune district over 1,000 hectare, Bharat Forge promoted SEZ at Rajgurunagar in Pune district and India Bulls promoted SEZ in Pen and Alibaug talukas of Raigad district,

At all these places despite stiff opposition from farmers, state government has maintained the stand that, no forcible land acquisition will be done but state government has not withdrawn or given a stay to land acquisition process itself.

However, the case of Wagholi is different from other places, it falls in the Union agriculture and food and civil supplies minister Sharad Pawar's Barmati Lok Sabha constituency, pointed out the informed sources.

They also claimed, the state government's industrial infrastructure arm MIDC which is acquiring the land on behalf of the state government, initiated process of land acquisition at Wagholi on behest of Pawar himself who felt that, this land is ideally suitable for industrial development.

Pawar was in favour of industrial development at the site has been mentioned in black and white in a MIDC's file on the industrial park cum SEZ at the Wagholi, they said.

The sources feel now that, now there will be tremendous pressure on the state government to extend similar stay or cancel the process of land acquisition completely.

Speaking to Business Standard Vaishali Patil spokesperson of Anti- Mahamumbai SEZ Action Committee said, "We feel this is a victory of Wagholi's farmers unity and lesson for other farmers whose land is being acquired for SEZs. I think we have to intensify our agitation to force state government to denotify the land for Mumbai SEZ as well," she added.

If the similar reasons exist in other areas where farmers' land is being acquired for SEZs then, state government should apply same yardstick to other SEZs also, said BJP MLC and general secretary of state unit Vinod Tavde.

However, if this is the decision taken out of narrow constituency consideration then state will have to pay heavy price for it, he charged.