Janata Dal (S) flays Congress on SEZ

Staff Correspondent

Mangalore: Janata Dal (Secular) is ready to take on the Congress on a
move by the State Government to allot land for setting up special
economic zones (SEZ) or townships, party spokesperson and Member of
Legislative Council (MLC) Y.S.V. Datta has said.

It is ironical that the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee was setting
up a parallel fact-finding committee on land grabbing when a house
committee headed by A.T. Ramaswamy was doing the job, he said here on
Monday.

Mr. Datta told presspersons that the KPCC fact- finding attempt was a
move to divert the attention of people from the probe by Mr. Ramaswamy
because they were afraid that their misdeeds would be exposed, he said.

Congress government under S.M. Krishna had acquired vast tracts of land
in and around Bangalore ostensibly to create information technology and
bio-technology related infrastructure. Congress leaders should come out
with details on extent of land acquired, compensation paid to farmers,
employment opportunities created for them and, more importantly, if the
land was used for the right purpose, Mr. Datta said.

Mr. Krishna's government enabled realtors to grab lands of poor farmers
by initially getting them notified. When the farmers sold their lands
out of fear that they might not get suitable compensation, the
Government subsequently de-notified the lands, allowing realtors to
acquire the land, he charged.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/03/stories/2007070360570300.htm