Residents of Permude region welcomed the first citizen of the district, the deputy commissioner in a distinct way. Not with flowers and gifts. Residents welcomed him instead wearing black ribbons around their foreheads, as a mark of protest aganist Special Economic Zone itslef on Sunday.

A greivances meeting was held at Sri Narayana Sabha Griha Permude where Deputy Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao came to meet the residents along with Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) Land Acquisition Officer Vijayakumari Shenoy and Mangalore SEZ Chief Operating Officer A G Pai.

“We do not want SEZ project,” shouted the residents who also addressed KIADB as ‘Capitalist’ in one such banners hung outside the venue. The dais was also arranged with apt cartoons portraying the affects of MSEZ.

The KIADB has plans to acquire around 760 acres of private land and 108 acres of government land in Permude village alone. More than 460 families will be displaced in this move. While DC spoke about the Rehabilitation and Resettlement packages, the residents lead by Krishi Bhoomi Samrakshana Vedike activists opposed the acquisition move of KIADB and declared that they would not give their lands at all.

The intense protest ultimately made DC utter few words of patience. “I am not a servant of yours to obey your orders. I am here to lend my ears to your problems. I am the deputy commissioner,” he said.