No eviction of farmers for SEZ: CM

Bangalore, Aug 1 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today clarified in the Assembly that the government will neither evict nor harass farmers to acquire land for the setting up of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) or industries.

Replying to an issue raised by Opposition leader N Dharam Singh and others, he said his government had framed a policy wherein anyone who desired to set up SEZ were required to purchase the land from farmers after convincing them and then get a clearance from the government. Besides, they should also provide employment to each of those families who gave away the land, he added.

He termed as 'far from truth' about some charges levelled against the government that it had a proposal to acquire 1.19 lakh acres of land and that the government had indulged in 'looting' the farmers land.

He said Karnataka stood at the ninth position at all India level vis a vis land acquisition for creating SEZs.

On the proposed SEZ at Nandagudi near the international airport at Devanahalli, on the outskirts of the city, he said the developers were needed to convince the farmers to part with their land for the purpose and the companies were also required to furnish rehabilitation package for such farmers.

He said even in case of creating a new township at Bidadi near his constituency, it was not his idea and recalled that the officials had prepared a proposal during the regime of former Chief Minister S M Krishna.

While Mr Singh sought formation of a House Committee to go into the issue, former Industry Minister P G R Sindhia observed that the Centre was imposing SEZ on the states and the state government should take up the issue with the Centre in this regard. There was no need to create SEZ for the state, he felt.

Mr Kumaraswamy, giving clarifications, ruled out formation of the House Committee and assured that the government would consider any valid suggestion made in the Fact Finding Committee of the Congress which had prepared a report after visiting Nandagudi recently.

Major and Medium Industry Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, in his reply, said the state had so far cleared 61 SEZs and had issued preliminary notification with regard to 17,000 acres of which only 12,000 acres would be provided. The high level committee had cleared 86 projects involving a capital flow of Rs 1,29,273 lakh crores to provide employment to 2.13 lakh people.

UNI