SEZ - Nandigram and Buddha

I am not against Special Economy Zone (SEZ), I understand SEZ are important, my issues are only related to the way it has been handled. An Unorganised, Unplanned actions, a chaos. A land grabbing act.

Few days before I wrote my views on SEZ (previous post), Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said, "his government would not acquire land at Nandigram for Salim Group of Indonesia's chemical hub if the people did not want it". He had also mentioned that they will look for an alternative location for chemical hub.

Few days after that you read a news of Police firing. This clearly indicates that Buddha is not willing to sacrifice the SEZ at Nandigram. Nandigram's prime location, on the south bank of the Haldi River, opposite to the industrial city of Haldia has made Buddha and Salim Group adamant to an alternative location for SEZ. A river bank, already established industrial city on the other side of the river, what more ideal location can be thought of for a chemical hub.

For Mr. Buddha, the promise he has made to Salim groups looks more important than what his people want. We call this a Democracy? Oh yes, the Guest has to be pleased, even if it affects 1000's of our own people we can't send a foreign company without what we promised. In our Indian tradition we have a saying "atiti devo bhavam" is Buddha trying to scale up the tradition to this extent? Even Tata's project at Singur is an "atiti" for West Bengal.

After police firing Mr. Buddha said

“I always dreamt that Nandigram would prosper the way Haldia did. (But) some people are misleading the people of Nandigram that we are forcibly taking land there. If the people of Nandigram do not want industries there we will set them up elsewhere, but we will have industries. We have got the numbers, we have got people’s verdict.”

I don't understand what he means by number's, Is it the money to buy people and land? Seats in Assembly?.

"We have got people's verdict" did I read it correctly? Does the verdict also give rights to issue firing orders against farmers who are fighting for lands, the lands which their fore-fathers owned, the land which has fed them for years, the lands in which they see their future? What a treason act.

If Buddha thinks that his people can't understand the good things he is planning to do for the state, then, he and his government has failed. This is also a clear indication of the inability of the the people , to understand and extract the good things delivered from his good deeds. Then whats the use of all his development plan.

Again this should also make him realise that educating and informing his people is an other very important task which has to be focused without delaying further so that, they can understand his colourful dreams for the state.

One big question comes to my mind ever since controversies regarding SEZ started coming. Many bills passed by government (related to education, health, agriculture and many other development projects) takes its own time to see light and for SEZ most of the politicians, industrialists are on their toes.

Does this SEZs change the fate of the countries economy so drastically that all these politicians want to see changes as soon as possible?

Many leading economists (including Amartya Sen) and other policy makers say that "development in democracy is a slow and steady process, it takes its own course of time to see changes"

Doesn't this apply for establishment of SEZs as well, it has to be a slow process. Firstly farmers has to be very well informed of what SEZ's are and have to be given time to value merits and demerits for themselves. It has to be an informed democracy. If the majority of the farmers disagree to give away their lands then the government/industries has to look for an alternative options.

I saw some photographs of farmers, farmland labourers moving out of Nandigram after Police firing. Was police firing an other attempt by the Mr. Buddha's government to educate the farmers of the good things he plans for them in a "politest" mode of communication?.