Mangalore, November 27, 2007 (TNN): The Mangalore Special Economic Zone (M-SEZ) Company was not a profit driven venture and intended to work on a ‘no-profit, no-loss’ basis, according to M-SEZ managing director and chief operating officer I S N Prasad. here on Monday. Prasad told reporters here on Monday, that the land acquisition process was totally bonafide.
‘This is the first SEZ where the state has an equity of 23%. We want to set an example by giving the best rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) package in the state. We are committed to providing whatever we have agreed to,’ he added. But he ruled out completing the process of R&R before commencing the SEZ, as logistics would not permit such an exercise.
He gave an assurance there would be a committee to oversee R&R, which would have representatives from displaced families. There were 600 families that were displaced from 1,700 acres.
The SEZ had already acquired 1,700 acres land and currently it was registered as sector specific. ‘When we acquire additional land of 800 acres, then we will ask the Centre to register it as a multi-product zone SEZ (MP-SEZ), he said, adding that an MPSEZ needed minimum of 2,500 acres, unlike IT/ BT, which could be confined to 25 acres.
On MRPL’s involvement and their reputation regarding the R&R package, Prasad said if MRPL needed, it could have gone in for sector-specific SEZ, which could have been established for their projects within 250 acres.
On the relocation of religious places and some agricultural land coming within the SEZ, Prasad said some religious structures fell within and would be suitably relocated.
Prasad contended that as the SEZ should be a contiguous area, some percentage of agricultural land was falling inside the SEZ. Giving figures, he said of the total acquisition, 23% was agri cultural, of which again only five per cent had two-crop pattern and 3.5 per cent was horticultural land. ‘But 70% is not fit for agriculture,’ he said, adding that Thokur area was left out as it was predominantly agricultural.
About the oft-heard query as to why the SEZ had to be located near the MRPL area, Prasad said they wanted to maximize existing potential. ‘It adds value to the existing facility, but no existing units could be included in the SEZ.’
On doubts about the use of water, in view of the precarious situation in the city during summer, Prasad said four vented dams would be constructed across Gurupur and Nethravathi rivers to store water, apart from using 18 million gallons per day from sewage treatment plants. As for environmental concerns, Prasad said the company had taken it seriously, adding that the guidelines and terms of reference were so stringent, it would be impossible to get permission unless the environment mitigation plan was robust.
Source: The Times of India
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