mishthi

In a zest to secure tax holidays, developers are gradually turning Special Economic Zones (SEZs) into a land scam.

The situation today is that big industrial houses are acquiring land for SEZs and this is almost turning it into a scam in the name of development.

These are the words od Bajaj Auto Chairman and Rajya Sabha member Rahul Bajaj at a seminar organised by Consumer Unity and Trust Society.

According to him if vast stretches of land (including the agricultural one) have to be acquired to set up SEZs, the companies must get them by paying the right value, and not the subsidised rates.

He also said it would not be fair to compare the SEZs in India with that of China, as in case of the latter the land is owned by the state and the benefits go directly to the people. But, in this case it is the developer who is benefiting the most.

Bajaj said development of an industrial area does not mean it has to be near an existing city. It would be of more significance if the infrastructure creation takes place at a distance providing an opportunity to promote auxiliary settlements.

Echoing his thought, Independent Rajya Sabha member P C Alexender said, currently, SEZs are defying the initial social objective of providing small and medium entrepreneurs a growth opportunity.