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.
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.
posted by deepamariam @ 9:19 AM
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