Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, on Monday disclosed that the government has imposed 11 stringent conditions on SKIL Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, the private firm, which has been permitted to form a Special Economic Zone at Nandagudi, for protecting the interest of those who lose their land and houses for the project.

Hitting back at the Congress Party leaders, particularly Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, H K Patil, for allegedly misleading the people on the project and process of land acquisition, Mr Kumaraswamy declared that he is prepared to face the “war launched against him by the Congress leaders through the media.”

Making it clear that he is not afraid of any protest or rally being launched by the Opposition against the SEZ, the Chief Minister made it clear that the conditions imposed on SKIL Infrastructure are aimed at providing proper rehabilitation packages for land-losers, house-losers and landless labourers residing in the project area.

Listing out the conditions, Mr Kumaraswamy said that the private firm has to submit a detailed rehabilitation package to the government and the SEZ could be formed only after the rehabilitation package, which provides employment guarantee to at least one member of the family affected by the project, was approved by the Government.

NICE land

Mr Kumaraswamy claimed that the JD(S)-BJP coalition government has not “sacrificed the interest of people” while approving the SEZ, unlike the Congress government, which had granted the land at a throwaway price to the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises in the case of controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project.

In case of Nandagudi SEZ, even the Government land would be given to the developer at market price unlike what was one in case of the BMIC project, he pointed out.

“The Congress government, in which Mr Patil was a minister, had given government land at Rs 10 per acre and so on for the NICE. I am happy that Mr Patil has toured Nandagudi area for ‘espousing people’s cause’ but he has to answer to the people about the land acquisition process in case of the BMIC project,” said the Chief Minister.

Referring to allegations made by Mr Patil on the proposed 1,000 acre SEZ at Ramanagara, Mr Kumaraswamy made it clear that the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board will acquire the required land in favour of the private firm only on submission of “consent letters from the farmers and land owners” by the firm.

11 conditions on Sez 

*Rehabilitation package shall guarantee employment to at least one member of the affected families
*Govt not responsible for making arrangement for water requirement for the project
*The firm - SKIL Infrastructure Pvt Ltd - will have to tap water from within the project area only and it should not depend on water from river sources involved in the riparian awards, will have submit its plan on fulfiling water requirement to govt.
*Govt land will be given to the project only at market price; no compulsory acquisition of land; firm to purchase land directly from farmers
*Approval granted in favour of SKIL shall not be transferable to any company, including subsidiary company or entity
*SKIL is barred from transferring management control of SEZ or divest the control to other company or subsidiary company.
*The directors and the shareholding pattern in the SKIL can not be altered. Any alteration will result in immediate cancellation of the project.