Gujarat is aggressive in industrilsation of the state with development of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridors along Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) by setting mega industrial regions or Special Investment Regions (SIR). These industrial regions notified under the Regional Development Authorities (RDA) which would acquire the land in the proposed zones to be used for development of infrastructure, industrial areas and related townships. It is estimated in one of our studies that the Gujarat state is planning to develop 13 SIR and which is expected to affect more than 360 villages in various districts.
From the land utilization data for the SIR and SEZ in th
e Gujarat state it is evident that about 4.5 lakh h
a land is expected to be utilized for industrial activities and townships. As per the available information the investment regions and SEZ proposals are going to affect about 400 villages in the state affect livelihoods of 1.0 million persons of the state. These project affected villages comprises of 78000 cultivators and 74,000 agricultural labourers who would be directly affected by massive acquisition of their lands by the RDAs. These project affected people would be required to be rehabilitated since their livelihood deprival from these projects would cause extreme hardship.
The agricultural labourers, casual labourers and marginal farmers belonging to poor, dalit and tribal communities would be hardest hit in absence of active state intervention for their rehabilitation. Gujarat State needs to take urgent look at the resettlement and rehabilitation policy for the project affected people in line with the provisions made in National R&R policy and Draft R&R Bill (2007) pending before the central government. The states like Haryana has already formulated effective compensation and rehabilitation package with a view to large scale alienation of farmers.
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