Changing lives

Land acquisition has proved to be a major hurdle for SEZs in the country. But Sri City has managed a largely smooth process. Importantly, Sri City has benefitted the original landowners, whose land was not fertile enough for agriculture.

Land owners, predominantly farmers, struggled to earn ₹40,000-50,000 a year from agriculture. They were paid market rates for their land when it was acquired by Sri City. Besides, the younger generation also managed to secure jobs with the companies located in the business enclave.

Twenty-nine-year-old G Suresh is one such beneficiary whose father was a farmer owning a small tract of land that he sold to Sri City. An MBA from a nearby college, Suresh works as an accountant in Siddhartha Logistics located in Sri City earning ₹20,000 a month.

His father would earlier struggle in the fields to earn ₹40,000 per annum.

Also, because of his job, his family has now access to better healthcare facilities near his place. A visit to Arur village just outside the Sri City compound is revealing.

Most residents of this village had owned land where the business enclave has now come up. They have built pucca houses now and some of them have even invested in trucks and other equipment which they now lease out to companies inside Sri City fetching them steady earnings.

Split air-conditioners and dish antennae are common in this village. For thirty-six-year-old J Rajkumar, Sri City was a blessing.

Having met with an accident that left him handicapped in one leg, Rajkumar could not return to his job in a hotel in Dubai.

His qualification and experience helped him land a job in a hotel inside Sri City.

Villagers from surrounding areas who were earlier dependent on rains for their livelihoods, have now got jobs in Sri City based on their qualification and capabilities. GB

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