Deshmukh denies taking opinion poll on Raigad SEZ project

Mumbai, Oct 2 (UNI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today rubbished media reports that the district collector of Raigad had conducted an opinion poll on the proposed special economic zone (SEZ) project to ascertain whether the 22 villages in the district were in favour of it or not.

''It was not an opinion poll, but an administrative process to collect their opinions on the proposed project. There is no question of conducting the opinion poll on any project,'' Mr Deshmukh told reporters categorically.

The farmers of 22 villages, whose land is going to this SEZ, were agitating since their land is irrigated and they would get water for agriculture from the Hetwane dam, but instead their land was notified for SEZ.

Mr Deshmukh said the government would check from the irrigation department whether these villages would get water from the dam or not, and also it would look into the opinions given by the people of these villages.

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