The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Medha’s visit to give fillip to anti-SEZ agitation

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Thursday, Aug 28, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Medha’s visit to give fillip to anti-SEZ agitation

Staff Reporter

She will assess situation with regard to land acquisition

Kakinada SEZ one of the country’s biggest SEZs
Police told to desist from taking any action detrimental to people

Kakinada: Noted environmentalist and leader of National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) Medha Patkar is expected to visit Kakinada in November to give a fillip to the ongoing struggle against Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ), which is one of the country’s biggest both in terms of its size (about 12,500 acres) and scale of investments said to be in the pipeline.

She will personally assess the situation with specific reference to attempts of government officials to take possession of agricultural lands in alleged defiance of court injunctions and police actions creating panic in villages where SEZ is proposed to be developed.

The manner and extent of compliance with State Human Rights Commission (SHRC)’s orders to the Superintendent of Police to desist from taking any actions detrimental to the people, will also be a talking point amidst reports of continuing harassment of the project affected people by police. The SP is to submit a report to the SHRC by September 12.

The anti-SEZ committee has time and again alleged that several villagers have been illegally detained by the police to create fear psychosis and that the

Revenue Department officials were always on the lookout to virtually seize agricultural lands against the will of the people. Some anti-SEZ leaders have recently tried in vain to present a memorandum to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. This has further enraged the aggrieved people and it only strengthened their resolve to ‘fight it to the finish’.

Tension

An attempt to erect a fence around paddy fields in survey No. 374 at Ramanakkapeta village of U.Kotthapalli mandal on Tuesday created tension when the villagers stopped short of attacking the officials with sickles and sticks. Eerie silence prevails in other places as the people have once again resolved to even sacrifice their lives rather than allow their lands to be usurped for what they termed as dubious purposes. That the SEZ will destroy livelihoods has been the fundamental grievance of SEZ affected people most of whom are farmers and fisher folks leading a hand-to-mouth existence.

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