Deshmukh Clarifies On Land Acquisition For SEZs

The Maharashtra government has announced its sand on the floor of the assembly on Thursday that it has not acquired any land for a private SEZ developer anywhere in the state. Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said that the government would not go beyond the purview of section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. At the same time, the government refused to either withdraw section 6 or stay its effective promulgation.

This clarification on section 6 is likely to quell the controversy surrounding the Maha Mumbai SEZ proposed by Reliance Industries in Raigad. The imposition of section 6 had been viewed as an attempt by the state government to take over agricultural land for industrial purposes and had triggered widespread protests among farmers in the region. Earlier, revenue minister Narayan Rane told the House that section 6 did not mean that the government has acquired land or the farmers have parted with their land. Industry minister Ashok Chavan said Maharashtra had to decide once and for all whether it wanted to continue with industrial growth to retain its position as the topmost investment destination in India. He said the government would appreciate concerns about labour laws in SEZs, while notifying the state Act on SEZs.

The Opposition had demanded that existing labour laws should not be totally exempt in SEZs. Mr Chavan also promised changes in the definition of ''domicile'' to facilitate maximum employment for locals in SEZ units. At present, a person has to stay continuously at a place for 15 years to qualify for employment with the government or a government-sponsored agency.