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Panel disfavours new SEZs

Staff Reporter

‘Undue haste in approving proposals’
Ban sought on use of irrigated land for SEZs

NEW DELHI: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce has asked the Government not to clear any new special economic zone (SEZ) till the SEZ Act and Rules are amended to address the grievances of farmers and other affected stakeholders. It has also called for a fresh look at the policy as a whole so that it could be made “people-friendly”.

“The committee feels that the undue haste in approving SEZ proposals and the consequent proliferation of SEZs have contributed to the development of resistance against the SEZ policy. There is an imperative need to understand the cause of farmers’ agitation and grievance,” the committee said in its report submitted to the Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. “Giving huge chunks of cultivable land for SEZs and other non-agriculture projects will have a huge impact on the nation’s food security.” The Committee Chairman and former Union Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, said at a press conference here on Friday that there should be a complete ban on the use of irrigated double crop land for setting up SEZs. The committee has recommended a ceiling of 2,000 hectares for setting up multi-product SEZs in cultivable land and 5,000 hectares on wasteland.

Similarly, we have also given recommendations on how much land should be allotted in the case of sector-specific SEZs. The committee found that there were several crucial factors related to agriculture, compensation, housing, administration, security and trade that have totally been ignored.

It has also recommended that land should be taken from farmers on lease so that they can retain the ownership and get periodical payments from developers instead of lump-sum payment.

Stating that the Government was bound to give its Action Taken Report (ATR) on the Committee’s report in three months, he said the committee would pursue the matter till their recommendations were implemented.

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