The Hindu
MANGALORE, Aug 5: Various Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the district have announced their support to the struggle of farmers against land acquisition for the proposed Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ).
They include Karavali Mahila Jagruti Vedike, Krishikara Vedike –Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada Parisarasktara Okkuta and Nagarika Seva Trust. These NGOs are working in the areas of farmer protection, environmental issues, livelihood protection and related fields.
Impact on families
President of the Karavali Mahila Jagruti Vedike P. Hemavathi stated that the proposed land for the Mangalore SEZ had over 3000 families using it for cultivation, plantation, dairy, poultry and other agriculture-based activities. If their lands were acquired, they would be deprived of their livelihood. The compensation might get them a piece of land and a house but they would not get back their livelihood, she added.
Stating that the Government should shelve the MSEZ project, the president of the Nagarika Seva Trust K. Somanatha Nayak said that farmers in Permude, Kuthethoor, Thenka Yekkaru and Delanthabettu villages were in deep trouble and were faced with the prospects of losing their agricultural and horticultural land.
Although the Union Government had given directions that agricultural lands should not be acquired for SEZ, the district administration had begun the acquisition which would be opposed by the Nagarika Seva Trust, he said.
Loss of land
President of the Dakshina Kannada Parisarasktara Okkuta I. Kushalappa Gowda said the four villages would lose nearly 4,000 acres of land of which 2,035 acres would be acquired by the Government.
The okkuta was not sure of the type of companies that were likely to come up inside the SEZ and if any environmental impact assessment would be done, he added. The NGOs were apprehensive whether socio-economic surveys were carried out or not till now.
Without such surveys, the land acquisition should not be taken up, he said.
Denial
The district administration, which had conducted public hearing in villages during the week had been given a negative reply by the farmers. At Thenka Yekkaru and Delanthabettu, where land acquisition was in large extent, the farmers had said a “definite no”.
At Permude and Kuthethoor, which are nearer to the petrochemical complex and chemical plants, people were more worried about the environmental pollution and their own survival, Kushalappa Gowda said.
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