Karnataka Govt buckles under Pejawar threat

DHNS

• Nirani, unmoved over Gadag, withdraws notification of 2,035 acres for MSEZ

 

Bangalore, 13 July 2011: In stark contrast to its flat refusal to review its decision to acquire land for Posco in Gadag district, the State government on Tuesday withdrew the process of acquiring land for the second phase of Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) hours after Pejawar Mutt seer Vishwesha Teertha threatened to go on an indefinite fast in support of the issue.

 

The seer addressed a press conference in Bangalore on Tuesday morning, stating he would go on an indefinite fast from Wednesday in Mangalore if the ruling BJP failed to honour its promise of withdrawing notification of 2,035 acres for MSEZ phase-II.Vishwesha Teertha said Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa met him three days ago and promised to rescind the notification.

 

“But so far no action has been taken. I will wait till  evening. If the notification is not withdrawn, I will launch an indefinite fast from tomorrow,” he said. The response could not have come any faster.

 

Within a couple of hours, Major and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani said the government will denotify the land sought for phase II of the SEZ (except 38 acres of government land).

 

The Commerce and Industries Department issued a gazette notification denotifying 1,098 acres in the evening at the same time issuing a final notification for the 38-acre  government land.

 

He called up the seer and conveyed the government’s stand. Nirani said the farmers were free to voluntarily sell their land to the SEZ.

 

Double standards

That stance is diametrically opposite to what Nirani has been stubbornly advocating on the Posco issue. Although Tontada Siddalinga Swami of Tontadarya Mutt is at the head of the Gadag struggle, he has not been able to exercise the clout th­at the Pejawar seer has managed.

 

Vishweshateertha told Deccan Herald: “The Government has said it will not go ahead with the land acquisition process. The minister (Nirani)  has assured that an order to the effect will be issued. I will study the order and announce my next step of action at 10:30 am on Wednesday.” Earlier, the seer likened the forceful acquisition of lands of farmers to forceful conversion of people with the promise of allurements.  He said the land acquired in 2005 remained unutilised and no farming activity could be taken up since then. He proposed a statewide stir against acquiring farmers’ land for industries.

 

Background The Government of India had granted in-principle approval to MSEZ for establishment of multi-product SEZ in 4,000 acres of land near Mangalore in June 2006. Subsequently, MSEZ applied for formal approval for the sector-specific SEZ for petroleum and petrochemicals with the available 1,721 acres of land as the company was not in posssession of the minimum requirement of 2,500-acre land need for multi-product SEZ.

 

Later, an application was filed before the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in respect of the entire areas (4,000 acres) proposed by MSEZ.

 

KIADB issued preliminary notification for acquisition of additional 2,035 acres of land for phase II in May 2007. There have been protests by farmers and NGOs since. At present, the acquisition is at the stage of hearing the objections under Section 28(2) (final notification) of the KIADB Act.

 

Support for farmers

The seer also declared support to farmers of Gadag who have been up in arms on giving land to the proposed Posco steel plant. He set a three-month deadline for the government constituted expert committee to study the “health hazards” posed by the thermal plant in Udupi and submit a report and for government to act on it.