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Ex-Navy Chief fights a different battle

Staff Reporter

Wants to retain claim over land given by Govt

NEW DELHI: For his role in the war against the enemy way back in 1971, Admiral Ramdas was awarded the Veer Chakra and along with it a six-acre plot in Maharashtra's Alibagh district. More than 35 years later now, the Navy Chief is back to waging a war, this time to retain claim over the same plot of land.

"The land was given to me by the Government for agricultural and horticultural purposes. The land, where I have been living for the past 13 years, is now being taken back by the Government for industrial purposes. The Government wants to acquire my land along with the land of 50,000 others for giving it to India Bulls in the Alibagh area," says Admiral Ramdas, who is a member of 22 villagers' committee fighting against setting up of Special Economic Zones.

Speaking on the sidelines of a national convention on corporate land grab here this past week, Admiral Ramdas criticised the Government for allowing the setting up of SEZs on stretches of land that are fertile."Both the State and the Central governments have become the biggest brokers. But we need to beat them. We know what the problems are, we have to think of the way ahead, and that is to combine skills on streets, in courts and technology and link the system." Cautioning that anger among villagers who are facing the threat of land acquisition by the Government is mounting, he said: "It is a tough task to keep them from becoming violent. We are trying to keep peace, but anger is on the rise."

Coming down on the Government's policy towards acquiring land at cheap rates from farmers and giving it to corporates, Navdanya founder Vandana Shiva said: "SEZs are based on the assumption that small farmers cannot produce food."

Demanding abolition of the SEZs, she said: "There should be a moratorium on any land acquired for SEZs till a Commission is set up. We want an independent citizens' commission to assess the best land quality, how much agricultural land is needed for food security and revisiting the fertile lands and preserving them as national heritage."

Ms. Shiva said a National Support Group is being set up and March 23 would be observed as "Day of Action'' to register protests against the Government's policies.

Member of Parliament Raj Babbar said the Government had failed to protect the rights of farmers. "We need to question the rationale behind the setting up of SEZs. Why is the Commerce Ministry trying to push the SEZs even when public opinion is divided? There has to be a reason why only the land near water bodies and highways is being acquired instead of land that cannot be used for agricultural purposes?".

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