SEZ not a problem in Haryana: CM

Two days after Mamata Banerjee called off her hunger strike against acquisition of fertile land for industrial purposes, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that there was no problem in his state as far as industries and setting up of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) was concerned.

On reports that around 30,000 farmers had gathered in Jhajhar district to protest against the SEZs, Hooda dismissed this and said there was no dispute as far as SEZs in the state were concerned.

"Farmers are very happy with the state government's policies on land acquisition and compensation," Hooda said.

On protests faced by SEZs in West Bengal and some other states, Hooda said that the Haryana government had fixed highest land acquisition rate of Rs 25 lakh per acre, compared to other states which were offering a pittance. "It is because of this that Haryana's farmer is happy," he said.

Till now the Union commerce ministry had given clearance to setting up of 60 SEZs in Haryana. Hooda, however, added that despite the clearence the government of Haryana itself had issued a no-objection certificate to only one SEZ - the Orient Craft. Even the Reliance SEZ, considered quite a coup for both parties, had not been given an NOC as yet, Hooda said.

For the new year, Hooda said his government's priority next year would be to focus on "problems relating to water, electricity and unemployment."

Realising the growing problem of unemployment, the state government had re-employed about 4,000 people retrenched by previous government and set up an Overseas Placement Assistance Society to help youth get employment abroad.