Halt Land Grabbing In The Name of SEZ

Urgent Appeal Updates...

13 October 2010

Residents in Uttan-Gorai waged a rally on 8 August 2010 to protest against the proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Bill of Mumbai state government and to reiterate their disapproval of the SEZ Acts which has been passed in 2006 at the national level. The protest blocked the traffic towards Gorai for 90 minutes.

Although the design of SEZ aimed to attract foreign investment, it has resulted in legalizing land acquisition from poor farmers, indigenous people and tribes, hence causing serious damage to residents’ livelihood,

The newly proposed Bill in the state, once passed, will not only give the investing corporations 25-year waive-off on sales tax, value added tax and registration charges, but also guaranteed them complete control over governance of the area to privatize the use of water and power supply with the authority to determine its rates.

The decision to stop traffic was part of a nationwide protest against the SEZ Act. Similar protests have been planned in different places of the country, such as Rajgurunagar, Nagpur, Pen, Sinnar and Aurangabad.

Even though the SEZ Act was passed, residents’ strive to repeal the Act and alleviate the damage brought about by the SEZ has never ceased. To support the local campaign for the genuine sustainable development of the area, instead of merely economic growth, ACPP issued UA070711(4) in November 2007 to urge authorities to scrap the SEZ Act.

Source: Hindustan Times

26 August 2008

Alleging that the government failed to honour its promise, farmers affected by the Reliance group’s Mumbai Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) has blocked the Mumbai-Goa highway on 17 June for over 2 hours. Over 100 protestors were arrested and lathi charged and one farmer was injured.

The government has earlier assured farmers that 22 villages in Pen taluka would be excluded from the MSEZ. The Irrigation Department had agreed that these villages could not be acquired for the MSEZ and reportedly issued a letter to the District Collector. However, the government has not notified the exclusion and the land acquisition process for MSEZ was still continuing despite total opposition from the people.

In response to the large scale displacement of people in fishing villages of Mumbai from their land, culture and livelihood, Hotline Asia issued UA070711(4) in November 2007 to urge authorities to scrap an Act that legalizes land acquisition of land from poor farmers for industrial expansion, and to review clearance process for sanction of SEZs. Since then, the Catholic Church has organized campaigns for participation of people in Mumbai, and one of the SEZ developers showed caution in pushing through with their project due to resistance from local residents.

Sources:The Hindu

02 April 2008

For the first time after many anti-SEZ (Special Economic Zone) protests by farmers in several parts of Maharashtra State, an SEZ developer is considering to scrap their project in the face of resistance from local residents. The Essel Group of Companies, which got its approval for a multi-product SEZ in 2006, announced on 20 February 2008 that they want dialogue and that they cannot force through the project if locals are unwilling. However, local residents say that the agitation will continue until the plan is completely lifted. They have also responded to the company’s press statement through an open letter, questioning the failure of promises and other inconsistencies, as well as reminded of past environmental and livelihood damages caused by their previous projects.

Meanwhile, a bandh was announced for participation all over Mumbai on 15 March to demand 1) the scrapping of the Uttan Gorai SEZ which over 125,000 residents would lose their homes and livelihood and led to destruction of mangroves; 2) a stop to the acquisition of Church land in Sahar which is part of the land that Mumbai International Airport Authority would use for commercial purposes and would displace 3 lakh (300,000) people; and 3) a stop to attacks on the minority.

Hotline Asia issued UA070711(4) in July 2007 to express concern over large scale displacement of people, urging authorities to scrap the SEZ Act and to review the clearance process for SEZ approval.

Sources: Hindustan Times, Local sources

22 October 2007

Msgr. Oswald Garcias, Archbishop of Mumbai, expressed concern on the risk of dividing communities and causing violence, due to the displacement of residents in 10 villages of Uttan Gorai area to make way for the second largest Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Maharashtra state. The Archbishop urged everyone to take part in rallies and other initiatives for the rights and livelihood of fishermen and farm labourers. A proper assessment on the impact to the local population was also necessary.

The Archbishop remarked that the Church is particularly concerned about the long-term effects of this policy upon the people of the area, and expressed concern that those dispossessed of the land are not equipped to take up any meaningful employment in new areas.

A signature campaign has been initiated with a target to collect 3 lakh (300,000) signatures by the end of August 2007. According to the head of Bombay Catholic Sabha, they want the government to involve local people in the development process through consultation and participation before project details are finalized.

Concern over the large scale displacement at the proposed Uttan Goria SEZ started since 2006. Hotline Asia issued UA070711(4) in July 2007 to support the local struggle and to highlight the responsibility of the government for the people. Requests include scrapping of the SEZ Act and revising the process for sanctioning SEZ to pave way for a more people-oriented development.

Source: AsiaNews