Jhajjar might turn out the Nandigram of Haryana, SEZs again under scanner

May 05: Till now it was confined to the vast terrains of Singur and Nandigram of communist ruled West Bengal but now it has reached to the backyard of India�??s pride and national capital �?? New Delhi.

People in the district of Jhajjar, Haryana, about 30 kms west of national capital�??s International airport are organizing themselves to oppose the acquisition of reliance industries planned 25,000 acre Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Like their counterparts in West Bengal, farmers in the area have organised themselves into Kisan Jagrukta Samiti (Farmers Awareness Committee) to fight for the right to possess land both against the executioner (government) and the industry.

As the research on the impact of SEZ in the area is still going on, the farmers don�??t want to shy away. The struggle has been initiated by 11,000 inhabitants of Badli village of Jhajjar village. Reliance wishes to take over 22 villages in Jhajjar and 18 in Gurgaon.

On May 1, when world leaders and concerned quarters were busy advocating the rights of employees (read labourers), Badli villagers organised one of the largest public meetings to chalk out the strategy on the basis of which they will fight against the �??corporatization�?� of their farmlands. Hundreds of farmers from adjacent 20 villages participated in the meeting. The local leaders from respective panchayats, represented their fellow villagers in a �??landmark�?� meeting in this region.

Denunciation of SEZ by participating representatives filled the air of the meeting place, chaupal, in the heart of Badli village. �??Government is acting as land broker for private corporations, tempting farmers here, scaring them elsewhere, to sell their land for industrial development,�?� turban sporting Pradhan said while addressing the gathering.

The meeting was suspended after some local agents (read goons) interrupted. The dissent however continues to prevail. Villagers are just reiterating, what their counterparts in other parts are demanding, �??Why don�??t they find barren land far from here? What business does the government have to play as a broker?�?�

The issue of land acquisition is not the only concern. The rate at which Reliance wants to acquire the land has also made them panic. Many farmers who have sold their land holdings are regretful, especially since land values are rising sharply in the area and feel that they got a raw deal. �??What is Rs 15 or 20 lakhs an acre when in nearby Gurgaon the price has soared to Rs 2 crore an acre?�?� Lakshman, a local peasant asked.

As has been observed in other regions, the government has once again claimed to acquire barren lands. The papers further signify this scandal. What is barren for the government is fertile for the poor peasants.

Azad Singh of Badli clarified how the agents of Reliance Industries put forward fertile lush green farms as barren. He said: �??Reliance agents are getting false affidavits made from farmers, saying that they need money for their children�??s education, that their land is barren. It�??s interesting what they call banjar zameen: last year it produced 15-20 quintals of wheat! It is recorded at the revenue office.�?�

Next time if government claim �??only barren land will be used for SEZs�??, we should know what they mean by �??barren�??. Now it is just matter of time, when media crews might have to rush to Haryana, as Jhajjar might be the Nandigram of Haryana. It is better to address the problem now then to play politics later on.