SEZ land: Rural ministry wants Nath to cede ground

Rural development minister wants a say in land acquisition process.

The rural development ministry is on a confrontation course with the commerce ministry over use of agricultural land for setting up special economic zones (SEZs).

The ministry has sought information on the land involved in SEZs which have been approved or are under consideration as well as a say in the process of acquisition of such land.

Stating that a national land use policy is urgently needed to prevent conversion of farmland, Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, in a letter to Commerce Minister Kamal Nath today, has asked for information on the land involved.

"The commerce ministry approves SEZ proposals. Therefore the Ministry of Commerce is requested to send information about the area of land involved in SEZs which have already been approved or are under consideration for approval, and other relevant information related to land use for SEZs so that the matter could be examined in the right perspective," the letter says.

While Singh had yesterday made it clear that more SEZs would not be allowed at the cost of agricultural land, his letter sought a say for his ministry in the process of land acquisition.

Stating that the SEZ authorities were the ones empowered to acquire and hold lands, as provided in the SEZ Act, 2005, the minister said most acquisitions were being done through the Land Acquisition Act of 1894.

He pointed out that his ministry would soon have some mandate for this under the national rehabilitation policy, which was getting finishing touches. "Some mandate in this regard may be possible through the provisions for social impact assesment being envisaged by the department of land resources under the national rehabilitation policy and the corresponding legislation," his letter says.

Pointing out that agriculture provided employment to 60 per cent of the country's workforce, Singh said, "Agriculture will continue to be the mainstay of rural population for their livelihood. Conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, including for establishment of SEZs on a large scale, is likely to pose a threat to food security of the country. Land being a finite resource, its conservation, particularly of agricultural land is accordingly of prime importance."

The letter has also proposed a middle path where acquisition of prime agricultural land cannot be avoided.

"In unavoidable situations, if it is necessary to acquire agricultural land for SEZ, the requiring body must develop equal area of wastelands simultaneously so that the loss of agricultural land could be compensated," he has suggested.