Wednesday,
Sep 25, 2013, 12:05 IST | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA
DNA
Correspondent
Several
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on Tuesday requested Union
rural development minister Jairam Ramesh to frame a policy that would
bar implementing town planning (TP) schemes in rural areas.
The
NGOs also brought to notice problems faced by fishermen, nomads,
misuse of SEZ (Special Economic Zone) to get land, common property
and sale of pasture land during their meeting with the union minister
at Gujarat Vidyapith.
Majority
of the issues raised by NGOs pertained to land in the form of
acquisition under the town planning act, selling of pasture and
government land as well as land acquired for SEZ and then denotifying
the zone.
Former
state finance minister Sanat Mehta said the government has taken the
TP scheme route just to acquire land in rural areas.
“The
central government should frame some policy to avoid taking such
routes,” said Mehta. In reply, Ramesh assured Mehta of looking into
the matter.
“A
majority of the revenue reforms in Gujarat benefit industrialists
only. In fact, land mafia are sitting in the government,” alleged
Lalji Desai, convener of the Jamin Adhikar Andolan Gujarat (JAAG).
Harinesh
Pandya of Janpath represented the case of landless people and people
with traditional but not legal rights to land. He also raised the
issue of illegal mining in the coastal areas of the state.
The
NGOs even raised questions of using SEZ to grab land and Ramesh
agreed that SEZs had become a land racket.
“We
will bring all future SEZs under land acquisition bill. But will give
a thought to SEZ that have already been notified and are getting
denotified,” he said. For the betterment of fishermen, Ramesh felt
that there was a need for Fishermen Rights Act in line with the
Forest Rights Act. He added that he had prepared a draft for the same
when he was environment minister.
NGOs
a racket, says Ramesh
Although
Jairam Ramesh is considered to be pro-NGO, he called NGOs a racket
because of misuse by political people. While addressing a question
about the decrease in the role of NGOs in rural development, Ramesh
agreed that their role had decreased consciously as their experience
with NGOs in some states was not so good. “We want to strengthen
Panchayati Raj institutions and women self-help groups,” said the
union minister.
©2013
Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
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