Tamil Nadu   

No SEZs on cultivable land: Karunanidhi

Special Correspondent

Says jobs will not be sacrificed

CHENNAI: Special economic zones (SEZs) in the State would not come up on cultivable land, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said on Saturday.

In a statement, he said his stand on the matter was also that of the PMK leader, S. Ramadoss.

The State Government would not deprive 500 persons of their jobs for providing employment to five persons. Even for setting up of industries largely dryland and wasteland had been acquired.

Quoting former Union Minister Murasoli Maran's statement on SEZs explaining how they would strengthen the economy, Mr. Karunanidhi said when the facility was proposed at Nanguneri, cultivable land was not selected.

He explained in some places, individuals who had purchased land from private persons at market rates, had come forward to set up SEZs and applied to the Centre. These had been recommended by the State Government.

He said in States such as West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan land, including cultivable ones, had been acquired and the zones were being created there.

The Chief Minister said the State Government had no objection to the setting up of SEZs in a manner that would not affect agriculture.

These would not be created by acquiring cultivable land. As mentioned in the guidelines issued by the Centre recently, mostly only wasteland and dryland would be acquired for setting up the zones.

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