Save ecology, say No to SEZ

Ignoring all civilian demands the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), on the eve of the Parliament election, has allowed Bengal Sriram Hitech City (P) Ltd to carry out its initial ‘development’ measures on the 314 acres land at the Hind Motors site, Uttarpara West Bengal. It was previously “owned” by Hind Motors on the basis of government lease.

· To release the “burden” of legal lease, the state cabinet, before this, had bought it from Birla and resold the land and the factory in pretense of renovation at a throw-away price of 10.5 cr. to the Birla itself who had profited almost 285 cr. by re-selling the land at 295 cr. to Sriram High-tech Pvt. City. They never spent from the profit 70 cr. on renovation and 25 cr. to clear the arrears as they were supposed to; on the contrary send the workers forcibly on ‘voluntary’ (?) retirements.

· More than 100 acres of water body will be sealed in this project to build 7,00,000 sq ft housing estate and 60 acres IT SEZ. The rich biodiversity of this land will be affected.

· The government is up to building a protected city on this land already assigned for industry while there is a dearth of land for industry in the state. On the one hand the government is snatching agricultural land for industrialization while the state cabinet ministers have decided to use industrial land (leaving aside only a sixth of it) for urbanization on the other.

· KMDA, by the West Bengal Urban and Rural Development Act, 1979, is responsible to determine the potential use of the land. The Fisheries Dept. is authorized to maintain the water bodies and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board its ecology. Finally after the 74th amendment of the Constitution that grants self-governance to the municipalities, the government intervention in this issue is illegal.

· During Feb- Mar’2008 almost 100 acres of water bodies have been sealed with fly ash (toxic wastes from thermal power plants). Even after approaching the municipality, police station, the Fisheries, the Land Revenue dept., KMDA, Pollution Control Board, none apart from the Fisheries dept. had responded.

· On April 8, 2008 the Fisheries had ordered Bengal Sriram Company to restore within 45 days the part of (almost 3.5 acres) water body already sealed. Although no part of the water body was further sealed, the restoration was never carried out. The Fisheries dept. 0n July 2008 had lodged an F.I.R (no. 149) at the Uttarpara police station to file a petition. The police and other administrative authorities, however, for some unknown pressure are still silent.