The Hindu Business Line : Land acquisition on the boil

The trouble
Tempers have been running high ever since the appearance earlier this month of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation's name on the 7/12 extracts (document establishing ownership) for about 4,000 acres of land in the area. Of this, 75 per cent is believed to be for the Videocon SEZ.

Pune May 12 Two executives of Videocon were roughed-up on Friday following a meeting called for by local land acquisition officials in Pune district. The meeting was convened as farmers were agitated over the change in land ownership details in Government documents. About 1,000 farmers from four villages — Wagholi, Bakori, Lonikand and Kesnand — attended the meeting.

The Government is acquiring land for industrial projects, including a special economic zone by Videocon. The farmers now propose to step-up their protest against being "forced" to sell land for the project.

An action committee, headed by a Nationalist Congress Party MLA, Mr Vilas Lande, has been formed for the purpose and a meeting is to be held at Wagholi on Monday followed by a road blockade.

According to Mr Chandrakant Kolte, one of those present at Friday's meeting, even as the Videocon officials moved downstairs after the meeting held on the first floor of the gram panchayat building in Lonikand, they were showered with blows. They were rescued and ushered to a safe place by some local politicians.

Document issue

Tempers have been running high ever since the appearance earlier this month of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation's name on the 7/12 extracts (document establishing ownership) for about 4,000 acres of land in the area. Of this, 75 per cent is believed to be for the Videocon SEZ.

Mr Kolte, who is at the forefront of the farmers' agitation, says that the notification for the land in question was issued last May.

He said that the Pune district administration assured them in a meeting in late April that the farmers would be consulted and their consent obtained before any land was acquired. The manner in which the Corporation's name appeared on the documents amounted to a clear breach of trust, he said.

Conceding that land acquisition around Pune was a problem, the Maharashtra Industries Minister, Mr Ashok Chavan, said: "whenever land is acquired, notices to those concerned are issued, their objections heard and the land officer can overrule them. Perhaps, this may have happened in this case."

Stating that he was unaware of the details of the case, he said: "if there is a genuine grievance, and opposition, the Government will not force the farmers to sell their lands, and can even reverse the decision to acquire the land."

`It's not about price'

Though skyrocketing market price of land — from Rs 5-7 lakh an acre to Rs 1 crore in the last three years — is a concern, farmer Mr Krishnakant Satav is at pains to stress that they are not negotiating for a better price, and will not sell their land "at any cost".

Videocon signed an agreement with the Maharashtra Government late last year to put up this multi-product SEZ, and is expected to rope-in cinema related industry besides IT parks and housing here.

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