My future is Naxalism

PEN: The farmers of Dadar village have formed a company Kalbhairav Agro and Development Company to develop a special economic zone (SEZ) on 2,500 acres land. As many as 500 of the 1,000 farmers in the village have become shareholders in the company, said company director AB Patil. Patil said that their SEZ would be based on Magarpatta City on the outskirts of Pune, where land owners successfully developed their land all by themselves and are now earning huge benefits.


More than financial gains, the people's SEZ will avoid displacement of villagers, the biggest worry and grievance of the villagers in Pen against the MSEZ project.

Anti-SEZ votaries assert that agriculture can also be the vehicle for development of the villages and earn foreign exchange. "Through proper irrigation, the number of crops per year can be increased. Construction of the Nhava Sheva link would result in reducing the transportation time to Mumbai, the biggest market. Once, the Navi Mumbai airport becomes functional, the products from the village can be exported," says Rajan Zemse, who has been on the forefront of the anti-SEZ fight. While the goods manufactured on SEZ face the prospect of decline in demand, the requirement for agricultural products and seafood would only increase, he adds.

But, it is just the start and the success of people's SEZ will depend a lot on their being united in the face of resistance from the government and business houses. "My future is Naxalism, or being a Dawood or an Osama," says Ganesh Takur, vice president SEZ Virodhi Chaubeesgaon Sangharsh Sanghatana