Farmers march in Pune city against SEZ Policy

On 6th October 2006, nearly a hundred farmers from Karla took a march from the Gandhi statue in front of the Pune station to the Pune collectorate to protest against the Government’s SEZ policy allowing selling of farmland to big business houses. They were accompanied by Pune workers, environmentalists and left trade unionists. Pune citizens from Nagpur Chawl also protesting eviction from the local corporation joined the march.

The march was organized by the SEZ Virodhi Sangharsha Kriti Samiti. The Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the land acquisition processes for SEZs have been causing widespread discontent among the farmers and common people all over India. Since 2005, 267 SEZs have been approved by the Commerce Ministry. Out of this 41 SEZs have been approved in Maharashtra alone. In Pune, the zones include 16 villages with a total of 57000 acres of agricultural land in Rajgurunagar in Khed taluka, nine villages of 3000 acres in Karla in Lonavala and the village of Maan with 1100 acres in Raigad district. Past few months have seen great resistance to the land acquisition processes for SEZs in Dadri in U.P., Pen, Uran, Rajgurunagar and Karla in Maharashtra. The State repression of resistance and people's demands with the help of police and the corporate powers has increased the frustration, anger, and increased their suspicion about the state machinery as the agent of the corporates. This has shaken the faith of people in the democratic state. The people consider the whole process of SEZs as an affront to the Constitution of this country.

Among some of the objections of the Pune based Kriti Samiti to the SEZ policy are: loss of local livelihoods of the farmers, inadequate employment opportunities, increasing burden on natural resources and environment, the creation of real estate zones on agricultural land, revenue loss due to subsidizing SEZs, overruling of the local self governments, adverse impact on labour conditions, and no public consultations.

Activist Medha Patkar was among the speakers at the march. The next day, a documentary titile Arajakachi Nandi on SEZs by city based writer-director Atul Pethe was screened at Patrakar Bhavan. It documents the plight of farmers in villages who will loose their land to make way for the SEZ. The film has given voice to the ordinary farmer and his family, who are persistently fighting a battle to retain their rightful homes. The documentary also explores the situation in the 45 villages at Panvel, Pen and Uran where a total of 35,000 acres of agricultural land have been handed over to a big business house for setting up SEZ.

Delia Maria from FOGM, Dr. Dendle and friends of Nagpur Chawl participated in the march.

Medha Patkar at Nagpur Chawl Airport road

Pune, Oct 6: Criticising the policy of acquiring agricultural and slum lands for setting up Special Economic Zones (SEZs), social activist Medha Patkar today alleged that the governments at the Centre and state are seeking development at the cost of farmers and poor.

"What development can be envisioned by dispossessing some people against their will from a particular place?" she asked at a meeting here organised by Nagpur Chawl Vikas Kriti Samiti, near Yerawada Central Jail.

The Nagpur Chawl, comprising 2,000 houses, is proposed to be demolished for the construction of multi-storeyed buildings by the Slum Development Rehabilitation Authority.

Nagpur Chawl is no more a slum but has developed into a colony, Patkar said, seeking to know the real reason behind the decision of the authorities to demolish it.

"The governments both at the Centre and state are seeking development at the cost of the farmers and poor. Are the SEZs and multi-storeyed buildings only the yardstick to measure development?" she asked.

Warning that "the dispossessed would not sit quiet and launch a relentless campaign to protect their rights," Patkar said it appears the real motive behind the decision to demolish the Nagpur Chawl at Yerawada was commercial.

"The colony, if turned into a cluster of multi-storied buildings, would be commercially viable as it is located near Pune International Airport", she added.

--- PTI

Indo-Pak Students Peace Camp 2nd Oct06

GANDHI JAYANTI OBSERVED AS INDO-PAK PEACE DAYWITH INAUGURATION OF A INDO-PAK STUDENTS PEACE CAMP
Today, to promote peace, non-violence and people topeople dialogue between youngsters from India andPakistan Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal, Union Minister ofState for Finance, Government of India inaugurated asix day long Indo-Pak Students Peace Camp beingorganised by YUVSATTA, The Youth-Pakistan, Dev SamajCollege of Education, DAV College, Moti Ram Arya Sr.Sec. School and Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti, NewDelhi with the help of Department of Public Relationsand Cultural Affairs, Chandigarh Administration.
Welcoming the participants Dr. Satinder Dhillon,Convenor of ‘Campaign for Peace-city Chandigarh’ saidthat to aid the process further, they’re alsocelebrating this GANDHI JAYANTI, which is also beingcelebrated this year as Dusshera i.e. the victory ofgood over evil as INDIA PAKISTAN PEACE DAY, thussaluting the Gandhian spirit of tolerance, forgivenessand brotherhood.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal saidthat the Peace process between India and Pakistan isquite fragile. Biased bureaucrats, people vested incontinuation of hostilities, and acts of terrorism caneasily derail it. As we approach the 60th anniversaryof Independence of India and Pakistan, the peoples ofthe region, especially the silent majority, shouldseriously reflect on what they want, and what would bein the long range interest of the two nations and thatof the whole region. And such initiatives ofyoungsters can play a great role in promotingbrotherhood, peace and progress.
Mr. Bansal, appreciated the organisation of GandhiJayanti as INDO-PAK PEACE DAY, thus saluting the 100years of birth of Gandhiji’s Satyagraha. He alsopresented autobiographies of Mahatma Gandhi, ‘TheStory of My Experiments with Truth’ to all theparticipating students from Pakistan. He also saidthat with fast expanding information technology worldhas become a global village in true sense...and peopleof India and Pakistan have just to remove mentalbarriers to cross over to each other to grow andprogress together.
In this Camp 16 youngsters from The Youth-Pakistan (anNGO) and 25 local students are participating.
Giving information about the Camp Mr. Parmod Sharma,Coordinator, Yuvsatta said that the good part of thisinitiative is that guests from Pakistan are staying inlocal families and College Hostels with local studentsand this will certainly help to promote mutualgoodwill and feeling of brotherhood. Next six days ofthis group are packed with deliberations on role ofyouth in promoting universal peace, disarmament, unityof religions and strengthening Indo-Pak relations.Alongside serious discussions, special city Chandigarhtour on bus and bicycles will also be there andthey’ll also not miss watching ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’.
Mr. Mubashir Mirza the group leader of studentsrepresenting The Youth-Pakistan (an NGO) said thatafter this Camp, now it’ll be their turn to host asimilar initiative in Pakistan, in which they’llrequest students from Schools and Colleges ofpeace-city Chandigarh to participate.
Today, this group of youngsters were also specialinvitees of Shri Ramlila Committee, Sector 17, towatch the Dusshera celebrations.

PRAMOD SHARMA