New Delhi: Controversies over setting up of Special Economic Zones across the country refuse to die down.
The district collector of Raigad on Friday called for a public hearing to give the farmers a platform to voice their complaints against the setting up of SEZ in Maharashtra.
Over 100 of them have gathered for the hearing at the tehsil office in Pen Taluka in Raigad district, where the SEZ is slotted to come up. The farmers, 90 per cent of whom are against the acquisition, have submitted a written statement to the District Land Acquisition Officer.
While the government claims that the acquired land is barren, the ground reality is different. The farmers say that the land is under cultivation and two crops are harvested on it every year.
They blame the government of snatching their livelihood and allege that there is plenty of barren land available in the state and the government should acquire that instead.
The farmers also fear that they would not be given any form of compensation for the "forcible acquisition" of land.
The State Government wants to acquire 24,000 acres of land for setting up a SEZ with Anil Ambani's Reliance Group. Ever since the plans were announced, there have been wide spread farmer protests against these acquisitions.
"The Maharashtra government has not kept the interests of the farmers in mind while taking a decision to set up SEZ and acquiring the land forcibly,"says a farmer of Raigad district.
Source : IBNlive
The district collector of Raigad on Friday called for a public hearing to give the farmers a platform to voice their complaints against the setting up of SEZ in Maharashtra.
Over 100 of them have gathered for the hearing at the tehsil office in Pen Taluka in Raigad district, where the SEZ is slotted to come up. The farmers, 90 per cent of whom are against the acquisition, have submitted a written statement to the District Land Acquisition Officer.
While the government claims that the acquired land is barren, the ground reality is different. The farmers say that the land is under cultivation and two crops are harvested on it every year.
They blame the government of snatching their livelihood and allege that there is plenty of barren land available in the state and the government should acquire that instead.
The farmers also fear that they would not be given any form of compensation for the "forcible acquisition" of land.
The State Government wants to acquire 24,000 acres of land for setting up a SEZ with Anil Ambani's Reliance Group. Ever since the plans were announced, there have been wide spread farmer protests against these acquisitions.
"The Maharashtra government has not kept the interests of the farmers in mind while taking a decision to set up SEZ and acquiring the land forcibly,"says a farmer of Raigad district.
Source : IBNlive