Land acquired for SEZ is forest land

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SHIMOGA: Three major industries that had planned to come up in Shimoga received a jolt when the proposed land to be acquired by th..

SHIMOGA: Three major industries that had planned to come up in Shimoga received a jolt when the proposed land to be acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) was found to be forest land. The district administration proposed to acquire 900 acres in Devakatikoppa (survey no 45) and Sidlipura village (survey no 25) in Shimoga taluk for the Suvarna Karnataka Corridor Scheme, under which an industrial Special Economic Zone (SEZ) had been planned. Farmers of both the villages voluntarily came forward to grant their lands. Following the consent by farmers, KIADB started the process of acquiring land in both the villages. Meanwhile, farmers urged the government to bestow `35 lakh per acre. Finally both government and farmers agreed to `15 lakh per acre. However, during the survey, the authorities came to know that about 362 acres was forest land.Three major industries that showed interest to establish their units in the last Global Investors meet convened on June 5-6, 2010, had been shown the land in Devakatikoppa and Sidlipura villages. In a meeting held recently, DC V Ponnuraj had said the industries should be established at least 4 km away from the forest area. Industries could not be established in the remaining area too, he added. This has hindered the setting up of the Suvarna Karnataka corridor in Shimoga district. Farmers DemandFarmers who were cultivating for more than 40 years in the forest land have approached the government to review the issue.In a press release, Devakatikoppa and Sidlipura Farmers Federation Committee said the farmers cultivating in the proposed survey number had all the land records, including pahani and mutation records, besides remitting land tax. They were cultivating the land and have houses and borewells and other water facilities. They also have taken loans from banks.Committee secretary Dhananjaya questioned why the Forest Department had kept mum in this regard over several decades. He urged the government to provide suitable relief to farmers.