Citizens’ Research Collective on SEZ

Mangalore, February 28, 2008: The residents of Bala, Permude, Bajpe and Thokur villages staged a protest in front of the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board’s (KIADB) office at Bykampady here on Thursday. The agitators were the owners of about 1,800 acres of land which has been acquired for the Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) project.

In a memorandum submitted to the Special Land Acquisition Officer of the KIADB, the agitators complained that their names had been omitted from the list prepared for rehabilitation and resettlement packages.

Many houses in these villages, including the house of Gregory Patrao, vice president of Kalavaru gram panchayat, have been valued “zero”. Mr. Patrao told The Hindu that the people from displaced families, who were given professional training by MSEZ Ltd, had not been given job assurance.

‘No job assurance’
The training was organised at Karnataka Polytechnic, he said. The agitators expressed concern over the land selected for rehabilitation in Kana Kulai.

They feared that the rehabilitation colony was close to some hazardous industries. Joining forces with the agitators were residents of an eight-acre hamlet, Shanti Gudde, in Bajpe village. Fearing large-scale pollution once the mega-project comes up, the residents of Shanti Gudde have been demanding that their lands be acquired for MSEZ. Representatives from Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemical Ltd’s rehabilitation colony in Chelaru also joined the agitation.

Source: The Hindu