‘New SEZ law favours developers’

The proposed state special economic zones (SEZ) law to be tabled in the state legislature later this week has already got state anti-SEZ activists up in arms.

The proposed state special economic zones (SEZ) law to be tabled in the state legislature later this week has already got state anti-SEZ activists up in arms.

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The protestors have demanded to scrap the law alleging that the law is lopsided giving undue tax holidays and arbitrary powers to the developer, leaving locals in a lurch.

Apart from protesting at Azad Maidan on Tuesday, several anti-SEZ groups will carry out simultaneous protests at six locations — Gorai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik, Nagpur and Raigad on August 9.

The proposed act talks of tax holidays for developers for 25 years, complete control over governance of the area, complete privatisation of water and electricity supply with the right to determine its rates and no jurisdiction of laws except law and order machinery.

The law says labour laws that allow formation of unions, are not applicable in such zones. So locals who have given up their land for these zones and are promised employment cannot protest if they face problems from the developer.

“The state will lose about 1,75,000 crore in tax concessions and this is a backdoor mode for privatisation. This should not be tolerated and should be protested by MLA’s in the legislature,” said anti-SEZ activist and socialist politician N.D. Patil.

“Under the garb of providing employment, the state fails to talk about farmers who have become landless,” Patil added.