Sampat Kale

The growth in GDP is the new mantra of development and everything under the globe is meant for growth and development. Since the last two years land acquisition for SEZ has raised many questions regarding ‘development’ but government has not paid enough attention to it yet. Over the past one year the issue of land acquisition sparked all over through forced land acquisition by MIDC and SEZ in Sinnar block of Nashik district.

The proposed Five Star Mega Industrial Estate and SEZ lobby desires to acquire about 7,500 hectares of lands from the fourteen villages of Sinnar block. The proposed SEZ are intended for the India Bulls and Tata motors as shared by farmers. The Government at any cost is not excluding agricultural and irrigated lands which compel the farmers to oppose forced land acquisition in Sinnar. The farmers feel that they have been cheated by government in compensation and rehabilitation package too.

The farmers’ convention was organised on 21st Oct, 07 at village Kedarpur to oppose the forced land acquisition on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami where large numbers of farmers gathered. A significant proportion of farmers shared their insights and decided not to give up lands which displace them from their livelihood. Prof. N. D. Patil, Prof. Subhash Ware, Vaishali Patil, D.L. Karad, Kishor Dhamale and Prakashbhau Waje extended their support to the ongoing struggle.

The farmers have formed anti SEZ committee and have passed Gram Sabha resolutions stating that no more land acquisition from their villages will be permitted as majority of the farmers want to continue their farming for their livelihood which is also an asset and a cultural capital for the generations to come. Most of the landless communities’ livelihood depends on agricultural occupation. They are not skilled labourers so that they don’t have any other alternative employment.

Sinnar is located near the Dev-River, tributary of Godavari river basin. Few decades ago Sinnar block was marked as drought affected area therefore the leaders had tried and done watershed development work to ensure water availability to lands. Sinnar is 180 km from Pune and 175 km from Mumbai and it’s on the Sinnar- Shirdi highway. Government has been developing adequate infrastructure facilities like Ghoti-Sinnar highway, Sinnar-Shirdi- Aurangabad express highway, power generation projects, railway linkages, airport and other facilities for the industries. But at the same time government has not been providing regular electricity to farmers, infrastructure like warehouse, cold storage, agro based industries, and low interest loans to farmers as criticized by farmers. It has been observed that the farmers had to vandalize the tomato and onion due to the lack of infrastructure. So in short the farmers are not opposing to development but they want agro based development and appropriate support from government which is related to the livelihood.

Recently, government has acquired 1468 acre lands form the village Gulvanch and Musalgaon and declared as Special Economic Zone. The government has issued section 6 notifications for 1500 hectares fresh land acquisition from the Kedarpur, Khopadi, Shahapur, Gulvanch and Musalgaon as a part of extension. Almost 80 per cent of the villagers engaged in agricultural activities within which the majority of them are women too.

These villages situated at the bank of Dev River basin have rich water source. Water conservation work had been initiated by the British, almost 32 medium dams and canals for the purpose of irrigation. The main crops produced here are sugarcane, onion, potato, tomato, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, oil seeds, vegetables, flowers, fruits and pulses. In addition to that they have developed dairy and poultry business. Most of the irrigation is dependent water from wells as well as connected through the pipeline. These pipelines have been installed from two to five km’s with huge investments by farmers. Animal husbandry is another major occupation of these communities.

Farmers of the Khopadi village shared that they have made land fertile in last 20 years, earlier they were not able to irrigate a single biga (1/2 acre) land but now they started cultivating cash crops. They have dug more than 250 wells in a single village. Their wells are 80 to 110 feet deep and water table is high. Even they have done the ground water recharge work exclusively. Now they are taking three crops in a year and earning more than 10-12 lakh per annum. They have contributed lot to the sugar cooperatives. It has been observed that there is lot of anger and anguish towards the unjust forced displacement by the government. In the name of development government has become agent between corporate companies and farmers, stated by farmers.

Thakubai Mahadu Gurule 70 year old women shared, “we don’t want more money, we want to preserve our land for the future generations. We are happy in our condition. We don’t want to stay in bungalow our farmhouse is best, please do not disturb our life cycle. Only money can not sustain our life we must have our sustainable livelihood sources.” She and her boys dug 80 feet well when there was scarcity of water. Now they have irrigation facility and growing all kinds of crops and selling in Nashik, Pune and Mumbai markets. They have tractors, tempo and two wheelers also.

“There is no need of forced agricultural land acquisition because government and their upper ministers had promised not to touch our irrigated land but why they are not keeping promises? It will create only displacement and social disturbance and not going to sustain our livelihood,” says Ramnath Pandhrinath Gurule. “Government has proposed land to land and resettlement then government should give their lands to SEZ not ours” Gurule said.

Farmers had faced very bitter experience of previous land acquisition in Malegon MIDC. Only 28 eligible project affected persons were given temporary jobs and still the rest projected affected persons are awaiting for jobs. Now the companies are bringing cheap labour from the north and south India and are not been given jobs to the son’s and daughters of soil. “We will not die, will struggle against land grab till the end of our life” was shared by villagers.

Eventually, they have decided to struggle at various levels like, legislative, judiciary and village level in future. Meanwhile, they are thinking to change in leadership in future election process. These farmers have the restrictions of land holding by land ceiling legislation but at the same time Corporate Jamindari is being promoted in the name of development.

—
Sampat Kale is working on issues of livelihood with National Centre for Advocacy Studies, Pune.