Sudipto Mondal

Bajpe, January 30, 2008: Hundreds of people from Shanti Gudde in Bajpe Gram Panchayat limits held a demonstration on Wednesday in their village demanding that their lands be acquired for the Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) project.

Ironically, their demand comes a day after 6,000 people gathered in the city to agitate against the Rs. 35,000-crore project.

Chief Operating Officer of MSEZ Ltd. A.G. Pai assured the agitators that their demands would be looked into. “I will not give you false hopes but I promise you that our company will do whatever is possible to help you.” However, he said that rehabilitating the residents of the village would be a tough task. “The company is already facing stiff opposition from people who own the lands that have been earmarked for the rehabilitation colony. Where do we accommodate you,” he asked.

Krishna Palemar, former Surathkal MLA said, “Your concerns are justified. We will take this matter up with the Deputy Commissioner on Thursday.”

Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the demonstration, he explained that if the inhabitants of Shanti Gudde were allowed to live there after the SEZ came up, their quality of life would be badly affected and the pollution from the industries would pose a health hazard for them.

Shanti Gudde (also called Shanti Nagar) is an eight-acre piece of land in Bajpe that is inhabited by more than 100 families. The land was allotted to the residents as part of a government housing project for economically weaker sections in 1974. A part of the land near this area is adjacent to the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemical Ltd.

Surendra Pergade, former president of the Bajpe Panchayat said, “Since the time the petrochemical industries came up, the people here have developed serious health problems.”

After the MSEZ project was floated, lands from the nearby villages of Bala, Kalavaru as well as other areas of Bajpe have been acquired. The villagers who now face the prospect of being surrounded from all sides by petrochemical industries want to leave their village and are demanding that their lands be acquired for the 4000-acre project.

“We will become an island in the middle of these polluting industries. We do not want to die a slow death. We want to be shifted from here. Let them take our lands also and rehabilitate us,” said Krishna Raj, one of participants at the demonstration.

Harinakshi, the Bajpe Panchayat president said, “All the families are employed by local farmers as agricultural laborers. Once the farms are gone they will have no livelihood. They should be rehabilitated.”

The villagers are now waiting for the Deputy Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao’s verdict. He is expected to chair a meeting on the issue on Thursday.

Source: The Hindu