Thursday, December 17, 2009
SEZ's !! Boon or bane!!
The issue of Singur land as discussed today in Pom once again brought forward the debate whcih has been going on for long since the concept of SEz was adopted that whether it actually does good for development of the country and its massess or it has turned out in another instance of land grabbing in consent with the government by the big industrial houses promoting the. While it cannot be generalized to every case, it should be kept in mind that the farmers whose livelihood are lost due to it, are provided with sustainable livelihood options while not compromising with the idea of development that SEZ's can bring about if done in true spirit.
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as we know indian growth story heavily depends on service sector, hence making it mandatory that we diversify to other sectors such as manufacturing. to promote this sector sez is very crucial as it is big incentives for business houses to invest here. if the land is acquired properly providing proper livelihood option to farmer we can make sez boon for the nation. as a properly developed sez will have multiplied benefit on the local economy.
First of all...v must assess the kind of land allocated to SEZs. SEZ concept works on developing barren and wastelands by promoting industry.Also tax breaks are given so that industry can help prosper a certain underdeveloped region. How is it actually workin out?? Good lobbying by corporates and gr8 support by Govt of India (whichever party is in power). They want fertile lands near cities situated on a NH!!
if our government is allocating fertile areas for establishing SEZs then it is an offence because the way our population is exploding (rather has exploded)we cannot afford to part with fertile portion of land. as from where we will produce for feeding so many mouths if we go on loosing fertile areas for housing or industrial activities........
I give an example of SEZ. You than decide if it is boon or bane.
During my FW, I was at mundra taluka of Kutch. The coastline of Mundra is held by Adanis under Mundra Port and SEZ(MPSEZ). the 60 sq. km of coastline that it held was acquired from goverment under the name that it was barren lands. I myself witnessed hundreds of fishing families, large forests, mangrooves, creeks, cut mangrooves, destroyed lands in that area. This all is just a tip of ice berg of all the unacceptable ways that this corporate house has taken up to grab lands in this area. It plans to fence off the entire area. All the villages of this area will be slowly cleared and this will turn into an SEZ.
After an SEZ is formed, they will build malls, multiplexes, shopping complexes etc. All this at the cost of villages. What use are malls for villages when they dont have food to eat or house to live.If building a new system by totally destroying old system is good, if snatching livelihoods of tens and thousands of local residents for satisfying a handful of rich that will benefits is good, than SEZ is surely a boon.
As far as compensation is concerned, they are mostly compensated monetarily. Without any livelihoods, all the money gets exhausted. Soon a time comes, when a person who used to roam around wit respect roams around in shame and guilt.
I would sum up by the statement of an old women in a village which is completely taken up by industries... She says, before industries, Men in the village used to walk with standing mustaches. Now they walk around with drooping mustaches.
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