The Growing Divide- SEZ Who?

Recently, a National television News channel presented the results of a nation-wide survey on the growing rural poverty in India, in a bid to focus on the wrong policies of the Central government. It was reported that 20% of rural India lives on 12 Rs. per day per person, a paltry sum compared to the princely amounts wasted by the present set of rulers on blowing their own trumpets!

Planting himself firmly against the backdrop of the Parliament House, the seat of all policy making, the reporter alleged that the wrong policies of the government were responsible for the growing divide between the rich and poor in India, with the government aiding and abetting the rich to grow richer and the poor to grow poorer. It seems that the number of ‘Crorepati’ s has now jumped to over one Lakh which according to the government a benchmark in the booming economy of India. Likewise the numbers of those slipping below the poverty line too must be growing, since the benefits of the booming economy are skimmed at the surface by the capitalists. The voice of poverty is muted, unheard in the corridors of power! After the builder politician nexus this is the next bold step by the government to creating segments of super rich. The alarming number of farmer suicides and the influx of rural population into the already bursting cities tell a story of neglect of the backbone of India’s economy- villages. That the government is going to further tax the common man to provide relief to farmers, is another story. “Rob Peter to pay Paul”!

One such policy that is steadily increasing the divide between the rich capitalists and the poor farmers and tillers is the development of a great number of SEZs all over the country. The government has flaunted it as the new path to progress in an atmosphere of rapid Globalization, open trade and free markets, the language the poor of this country fail to comprehend. For them, ownership of land, conservation of water, education for their children and medical aid for the family remain only a dream, even after more than 60 years of independence. Bridging the gap between the rural poor and the urban rich can only take place if the government policies are directed towards meeting the needs of the poor. But how can this happen when an elected government works only to realize the dreams of a miniscule minority, knowing that its action will impoverish the major section of people, however inconsequential they may be?

It is of great significance that most Indians are in the dark about the need, system or procedure of sanctioning of SEZs all over the country. When the UPA government passed the SEZ Act through Parliament with much haste in 2005 the question that plagued legal minds was- Is the act itself constitutional if it contains clauses which allow it to override long-standing constitutional provisions? No clear or specific information is forthcoming regarding the rehabilitation policy, identity of the real stakeholders and basis for clearing the applications for promoting SEZs etc. With a typical myopic vision, the policymakers have washed their hands off all responsibility towards damage to environment and people in the process of SEZ implementation. The large loopholes seem to be escape routes deliberately left open for the use of defaulting SEZ promoters!

The mood in the Commerce ministry was clearly upbeat on February 2006, when the SEZ Act came into effect. The smug feeling was more a glee that the sops proffered by the government were packaged attractively enough to lull any suspicions by India’s SEZ effected poor, than job satisfaction. It has been claimed that in addition to world-class infrastructure, Trade liberalization and the proliferation of Special Economic Zones are expected to provide livelihood opportunities to lakhs of people. It is also claimed that SEZs will bring in investments of up to Rs 100,000 crore and create 5 lakh jobs by the end of 2007. This employment is expected to balance the huge revenue losses, large-scale displacement of farmers and regional development disparities resulting from SEZs. But the government seems to be overlooking the fact that farmers have no wish to be displaced for the simple reason that losing the only livelihood and the land they have tilled for generations spells an uncertain future. With no skills or proficiency they see their chances of securing the promised jobs in a SEZ very slim.

Considering the limited nature of arable land, it is shocking that the state allows acquisition of prime agricultural land from farmers for industrial purposes, without a proper rehabilitation policy in place. Why grab the land from the farmers when more than 20% (68 million hectares) of the country’s area officially classified as ‘wasteland’ can be used to accommodate the SEZs? Voices in the media have questioned as to how these few “treasure islands” take shelter from the nation’s Constitution in the guise of economic growth? The preferential treatment given by the government to the SEZ issue is nothing short of clear breach of the laws of the land. So much so that one may justifiably fear that the internal security and territorial integrity of India is endangered in the long run by the fast-track implementation of the SEZs!

Opposing SEZs does not mean protest against industrialization, but against the ruthless acquisition of agricultural land and the possibility of exploitation of people and natural sources by the promoters. Thousands of villagers and farmers in states like Maharashtra, Haryana, West Bengal and Orissa are agitating against large-scale land acquisitions by big corporations like Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) -- with help from the government -- that wish to develop SEZs. Innocents have died in police firing. Riot charges have been filed against children. Police jeeps and other vehicles have been set on fire. Women farmers have been seen on national TV networks being beaten into submission after bloodletting by policemen! India’s millions are threatened with myriad chaotic consequences of the ill-understood and unfolding realities of rapid the Special economic Zones. That despite being offered compensation according to market rates, the farmers are unwilling to give up their land should stop the government on its tracks. The shortsighted government fails to realize that this is not the opposition arisen out of disagreement or loss, but it is a question of life and death for the effected! Losing ownership of a piece of land translates into losing access to the water courses or ground water available on that land!

One example in our own backyard is the SEZ being planned at Gorai- Dharavi- Uttan. The intensity of the protests against this SEZ has only increased with more like-minded groups joining the struggle. The reason is that they see the rape of a land, nature’s cradle of ecology, being desecrated by the high and mighty. They are shocked by the preference given to planning entertainment for people more than feeding or accommodating them. The lack of government response to the recent rally organized on a massive scale at Uttan and addressed by prominent speakers has succeeded in uniting people against such atrocities in the name of progress. Gorai- Manori has been reserved for a SEZ for entertainment, to showcase ‘local culture’, according to the promoter, the entertainment company. The evidence of the ill effects of its existence on the natural resources of the area such as land and water have alarmed the locals, galvanizing them into action against future ventures of this kind.

Those living in their ivory towers need to know that the very lifestyle of the locals here exudes culture and the Uttan belt itself is a showcase for the rich heritage of the Agri, Koli and other communities that reside there. The best way to “preserve the Gorai region for future generations” is to let the present generation exist in peace and the culture will continue to showcase itself without outside interference. As for the better life the SEZ promises, it is for the effected people to decide whether giving up their roots in exchange for promises of jobs will benefit them or not. Their questions need to be answered- What are the working conditions that are actually being created in this zone, what sort of employment will the zone provide, are the benefits of SEZ in terms of employment sustainable? Therefore the participation of locals in any “sincere and open dialogue” is essential to gauge the gravity of the situation!

The SEZs have so far left a trail of blood on the sacred soil of India! The stiff opposition from the affected people has resulted in loss of lives and limbs, police brutality and a rising sense of discontentment denoting a greater unseen divide between promoters of SEZs, and the economically weaker classes. Government is using its muscle power to iron out the creases of opposition from the common people, raising doubts of ulterior motive behind the move. “We will give you our blood but not our land”, the slogan heard at Nandigram, West Bengal, where the CPM government was trying to seize land to hand over to the Indonesian conglomerate, the Selim group, reflects the sentiments of rural people. Statements issued by various leaders speak of oppositions and doubts about the SEZs within the ruling party itself. “…In India there is a sacred bond that binds the tiller with the land. If you want to snap that bond, do that with great caution. Don’t think you can do it lightly…it is a minefield.” Finance Minister P Chidambaram had said at a meeting of empowered group of ministers (EGOM). Without the SEZs a handful of capitalists will have few Crores less to play with but with the SEZs lakhs of people in India will have less food and no livelihood to eke out a meager living! So the question is- why this callous indifference of the government to the will of the people?

A glut of questions has so far appeared in the press and on websites. Why have the Congress President Sonia Gandhi, the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and the Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram expressed publicly their deep reservations with regard to the SEZ policy, ultimately leaving only the Ministry of Commerce and Industries canvassing heavily for it? If this is the extent of dissent within the political establishment itself, how are the projects still going through, and what are the likely implications of the increasingly explosive opposition to the policy from farmers, workers, artisans, political activists, intellectuals and countless other ordinary citizens both in cities and in the countryside? Or is the actual reason that SEZs are being pushed in such a big way the fact that they are helping engineer a real-estate boom in the country with the help of foreign funds, bringing astronomical windfall gains for builders, developers, realtors, property dealers and international financiers and investors including many from Wall Street?