CPI itching to give UPA heartburn over SEZ Act

Signalling rising friction in the UPA as regards economic policies, ahead of a crucial Left-UPA coordination committee meeting tomorrow, the CPI on Saturday said it will push for amendments in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Act which it said had degenerated in to a 'land grab scheme'.

"In the garb of SEZs land grab is going on... The ruling class and others have taken a fancy to it and new landlords are being created in the 21st century due to it. On the other hand, 82% farmers in the country have less than a hectare of land," A B Bardhan, general secretary of CPI, said in an interaction with the Forum of Financial Writers.

The CPI would also raise the issue of high petrol and diesel prices in the face of falling global crude oil prices.

He said while his party has the option of moving a private member amendment to the SEZ Act but it would fall after debate. "We want to persuade the government to bring an amendment in the coming session," Bardhan added.

"We would like amendments to lay down the maximum area which can be allotted to a SEZ, increase the proportion of the processing area of such a zone and the compensation to be paid to farmers whose land was acquired for the zones," he said.

Giving an example of Vedanta's plans to build a university in Orissa spread over 10,000 hectares, Bardhan asked which university requires that much land and said this was how land was being gobbled up.