In Mumbai, peaceful standoff
Though the situation here is not as bad as in Nandigram or Singur, the fact that Reliance Industries Ltd has not been able to get formal approval for its proposed Special Economic Zone on the outskirts of Navi Mumbai for the last three years speaks a lot about the opposition from the locals.
Reliance got an approval in principal for the SEZ, supposed to come up over 10,000 hectares in 35 villages of three talukas of the Raigad district, in 2005. However, it has not been able to approach the Board of Approvals, the central authority for clearing SEZ proposals, as it yet to fulfil the contiguity condition. Under rules, an SEZ cannot be spread over divided plots.
This despite the company offering farmers one of the most lucrative packages -- Rs 25 lakh (Rs 2.5 million) per hectare, training and job to one person in each family whose land is acquired and return of 12.5 per cent of the developed land to farmers. Industry department sources said Reliance has bought about 2,000 hectares through private negotiations, but this area is not contiguous.
The project has so far faced two agitations by the Peasants and Workers Party and the Shiv Sena. These ended with police cane-charge and firing of tear-gas shells.
Fortunately, there was no loss of life. Dharnas (sit-ins), hunger strikes and rasta rokos (road blockades) keep taking place from time to time but the situation has not gone out of control.
This is because the state government made it clear from the beginning that there would be no forced acquisition. This despite the notification under Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act which allows the government to take over land forcibly.
Image: (Left to right) Tina A Ambani, Anil D Ambani, Kokilaben D Ambani, Mukesh D Ambani, Nita M Ambani at function to mark the release of the book Dhirubhai Ambani: The Man I Knew, written by Kokilaben, in Mumbai. | Photograph, courtesy: Reliance Industries
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