The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : All-party leaders visit Kakinada SEZ

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

All-party leaders visit Kakinada SEZ

Staff Reporter

None of the 100 SEZs functioning, says Narayana

Kakinada: CPI State secretary K. Narayana, Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) leader Tammineni Sitaram and Bharatiya Janata Kisan Morcha (BJKM) central executive member G. Shoury visited Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) on Saturday.

Stock-taking

The objective of their visit was to assess the situation prevalent in the villages in the aftermath of the recent abortive bid by the police to forcibly take possession of their lands.

Addressing a public meeting at Ramanakkapeta, Mr. Narayana said that the State has got nearly 100 SEZs sanctioned but not even one of them was fully functional, contrary to the rosy picture being painted by the Government.

But, the SEZs remained a convenient means to do real estate business in the garb of industrial development.

The CPI was totally opposed to this model of development wherein lands are acquired before the prospective entrepreneurs gave their commitment to set up their units.

PRP leader Sitaram said that the agricultural lands that were forcibly acquired would be returned to the farmers if his party came to power.

The PRP would not at all acquire farm lands for the SEZs purpose.

BJKM leader Mr. Shoury demanded that the Government should submit a white paper on the number and type of industries promised to be set up in all SEZs.

Besides, the government should take back lands given for development of SEZs if the prospective entrepreneurs fail to commence their activities in three years.

Otherwise, lands meant for SEZs would be converted to real estate ventures as it had already happened in several parts of the State. Later, the people’s organisations who are fighting against the KSEZ, conducted special rituals in a local temple praying for scrapping of the project and good sense to prevail on the government, in the presence of the all-party delegation.

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