Declaration on SEZs and Displacement

Bhubaneshwar SEZ Convention: Draft Declaration on SEZs and Displacement

Draft Declaration For Discussion During The Convention

MASS MOVEMENTS ACROSS INDIA DECIDE TO JOIN HANDS TO INTENSIFY STRUGGLE AGAINST DISPLACEMENT, LAND GRABBING, SEZs AND PRO-IMPERIALIST ECONOMIC POLICIES
[Declaration Adopted At The National Convention Against Displacement & SEZs Held At Bhubaneswar During June 26-27, 2007]

1. Countrywide Upsurge of Mass Movements:
We realise that the mass movement that we represent or support is a part of a countrywide upsurge of mass movements against displacement and anti-people pro-imperialist industrialisation. This countrywide upsurge of mass movements includes the Kashipur Movement against the Bauxite mining and Alumina plant of Birlas that has been going on for the last 13 years which in the year 2000 had to sacrifice three tribals in the struggle, the Kalinganagar Movement against forcible displacement for steel plants by the TATAs and other corporates going on for the last 3 years which has taken the life of 19 tribals, the Anti-Posco Movement in Earasama against the proposed steel plant of South Korean MNC Posco going on for the last 2 years, the Singur Movement against the TATAs( small car project) and the Nandigram Movement against land acquisition by the Salim group of Indonesia( for Chemical Hub based SEZ) that has laid down 17 lives so far and has forced all sections of the population to rethink on the anti-people SEZ policy of the government. In Haripur (West Bengal) the locals have so far waged a valiant struggle against the proposed Nuclear Power plant. The countrywide upsurge of mass movements has taken powerful roots in the Raigad Movement in Maharastra where the people are waging a heroic struggle against the 35,000 Ha. SEZ proposed by the Reliance Industries (of Mukesh Ambani). People of Uttar Pradesh are waging a valiant struggle against the Reliance’s (of Anil Ambani) 2500-Acre power plant in Dadri. People are fighting in Manesar in Haryana against the Reliance’s (of Mukesh Ambani) multi-product 35,000 Ha. SEZ project. People in Punjab are fighting against the forcible acquisition of farmland for the Trident group in Barnala, for international airport near Ludhiana and for thermal power plant at Nabha. In Chhatisgarh, near Jagdalpur the people are fighting forcible land acquisition for the proposed Steel plant by the TATAs. In Lanjigarh the people are waging a struggle against Bauxite mining and Alumina plant of Vedanta (Anil Agrawal). The peasants of Sambalpur district and adjoining areas are struggling against the massive diversion of water from the Hirakud Dam for large number of industries being established in the area that is increasingly reducing the area under irrigation. The fisher folk of Chilika who waged a successful fight against the TATAs in the late 90s and have laid down 5 lives in the Sorana firing incident are continuing their fight against corporate and mafia interests in the Chilika Lake. In the Keonjhar district of Orissa, the people have begun their struggle against the proposed steel plant by the Mittals and Uttam Galva. The local population is resisting the proposed 10,000-Acre Vedanta University project on the sea beach near Puri in Orissa. Several mass movements against displacement and anti-people projects are beginning to take shape in South Orissa that includes movement against proposed Nuclear Power Plant at Patisonepur in Ganjam, SEZ by TATAs in Gopalpur, Dam project on the river Mahendra Tanaya, etc. While the tribals of Kalinganagar demonstrated the path for fighting against displacement by laying down the lives of their fellowmen and resisting all efforts to displace them, the people of Nandigram have taken the anti-displacement movement to a higher plane through their spirit of unity and fierce resistance displayed in their uprising, their willingness and preparedness to face the armed attacks of the State and CPI (M) cadres. New movements against displacement & SEZs are shaping up almost on a daily basis. Only a few days back in Asansol (West Bengal) people have begun their protest against forcible land acquisition for expansion of the IISCO steel plant. People across the country are now waging heroic struggles against forcible displacement, anti-people & pro-imperialist industrialisation and SEZs.

2. Tribute to the Martyrs:
We salute all the martyrs who have laid down their lives in the struggle against displacement & SEZs and anti-people policies of the government. In particular we salute the martyrs form Kashipur, Kalinganagar, Sorana, Gangavaram, Singur and Nandigram. We also express solidarity with those injured and maimed, raped and also those against whom false police cases have been foisted. The sacrifices of the martyrs and those who are suffering will always inspire us for continuing the struggle against displacement and SEZs. In a fitting memory to the martyrs of anti-displacement movements across the country we pledge to intensify the struggle against displacement and SEZs till the government withdraws the policies that result in forcible displacement of lakhs of people from lands and livelihoods and the demands as elaborated below are fulfilled.

3. No More Forcible Displacement From Land and Livelihood:
On going and proposed large-scale land acquisition for mega industrial projects, infrastructure projects and SEZs is transforming the whole of the rural scenario in the country from bad to worse. Many state governments are boasting of formulating the best Rehabilitation &Resettlement (R&R) policies and the central government is talking about passing an R&R Act. The land acquisition by the Government under the garb of ‘public interest’ and posing before the people with ‘best R&R policies’ is to fool the people and to work in the interest of MNCs (Posco, Salim, etc.) and their Indian agents (the TATAs, the Zindals, the Mittals, the Ambanis, the Birlas, the Anil Agrawals, etc.). Through this process of displacement lands and livelihoods are being alienated from the peasants and other sections of the population and such lands are handed over to the corporates. In the past, crores of peasants across India were forced to accept displacement in the name of development of the country, which is actually the development of the imperialist forces (MNCs) and their Indian agents. Displacement has converted the peasants and rural folk into destitutes most of whom have been forced to become casual workers in urban centres without any rights. Fear of displacement from their homes, from lands and livelihoods, from their community and the thought of living the rest of their lives, as destitutes has suddenly become a reality for vast masses of India. The very people who according to the government are supposed to be benefiting from so-called industrialisation in the form of R&R benefits, jobs, urban facilities, social infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, etc. are seen to be opposing the most. In reality today’s governments have no intention and capacity to properly rehabilitate the displaced. The land grabbing through displacement is not only restricted to the rural areas. In urban areas the slum dwellers are being forcibly evicted to make way for city beautification, establishment of huge shopping malls, real estate development, widening of roads, etc often without any compensation and alternate dwelling place for the slum dwellers. The slum dwellers in Bhubaneswar, Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, and Chennai and in many cities across India are putting up a valiant fight against such policies of the government. At a time when the poor are fighting hard for land and livelihood rights they would no more tolerate the policy of alienating their lands. The masses of India are no more prepared to sacrifice in the name of development, which is opposed to their interests. The anti-displacement movement of the people has made it clear that people of India are no more prepared to accept forcible displacement.

4. Prepared To Face New Challenges:
The massive outburst of the people of Nandigram against the shameless and grossly anti-people manner of land acquisition for establishment of a SEZ by Indonesia based MNC Salim Industries and the countrywide resistance against land acquisition for MNCs and Indian corporates the government has been forced to amend the rules under the SEZ Act 2005 whereby instead of the government the corporates shall directly purchase land from the peasants. Even after this pronouncement, everywhere police is intervening on behalf of corporates. After the anti-Posco agitators detained some Posco officials who entered the struggle area without heeding to the advice of the agitators the government has started panicking and is considering providing legal assistance to the corporates at the time of land acquisition. This has exposed the hypocritical position of the government of no more acquiring land for the corporates. The resistance movements against displacement are already confronting with these new tactics of the MNCs and Indian corporates. We are sure the people of India would be able to understand this new tactics soon and would develop their own tactics to face such new challenges and many more to come.

5. We Will Not Be Cowed Down By State Repression:
We believe that forcible displacement and state repression to silence resistance to such displacement is being done to serve the imperialist forces and their Indian agents. By resorting to state repression in the form of lodging hundreds of false police cases, by resorting to terrorising the local population and resorting to firing on the unarmed protesters all the state governments have demonstrated that they do not care about the democratic rights of the people to protest. By implicating the leaders and activists in scores of false police cases the Government has shown that it is afraid of the mass movements against its polices. The judiciary has demonstrated clearly that it is on the side of the Government in this struggle against forcible displacement. And such stand of the judiciary has been used by the Government to cow down the struggling people. In Orissa the government is talking of ‘peaceful industrialisation process’ without using any force as the new mantra for industrialisation of Orissa. We understand this is just a gimmick aimed to divert public attention from the peoples’ uproar against the repressive methods used by the state governments across the country. Through the proposed peaceful industrialisation process the government may be making a case for adopting all other repressive methods except direct police firing to acquire lands. The talk of peaceful industrialisation is a camouflage. The intention of the government is actually peace for the corporates and state of fear for the people. We condemn the government for all forms of state repression, which many a times has taken the form of state sponsored terrorism. We resolve to use whatever little democratic means still available to expose the government and not be cowed down by state repression of any kind.

6. Reject Anti-People Pro-Imperialist Industrialisation & SEZs:
The industrialization policy of the government is not aimed at supplementing the production capacity of those products, which are in demand by the masses. Nor it is creating any additional employment for the vast army of unemployed of the country as the mega industries that are being pushed by the government are based on automation having a very small employment potential. Rather such industries are responsible for large-scale displacement and massive loss of employment. The recent rush is for establishment of industries that would eat away the minerals of India in the next 20-30 years and export semi-finished & low-value added intermediate products for manufacturing of highly costly products by developed countries, which will be again imported by India at a huge cost. This anti-people and pro-imperialist industrialisation policy along with anti-people mining policy is encouraging establishment of huge mineral based industries, industrial infrastructure (roads, rail, power plants, water projects, etc) and SEZs that have resulted in peasants loosing their lands and livelihoods, massive unemployment, natural resources being exhausted in a rapid rate and nature getting devastated. The implementation of the SEZ policy is leading to creation of exclusive zones where no laws of land that protects the rights of the labour and that of the people at large shall be applicable which indicates near total lack of sovereignty of our country. No sovereign country can allow SEZs of the type the Indian Government has formulated. A path of industrialisation that converts the vast masses as destitutes and serves imperialist forces is no path of industrialisation for India. Industrial development has to be in the interest of the vast masses of India and to satisfy their needs i.e. catering to the home market of products of mass consumption. We therefore reject entirely the policy of industrialisation, and SEZs that is being thrust on the people of India.

7. Development of Agriculture Is Essential:
We believe that development of people of India is impossible without the development of agriculture as for more than 70% of the population of India agriculture and allied livelihoods such as fishing, animal husbandry, forestry are the only sustainable livelihoods. Today the Government is unable to provide any other sustainable livelihood after taking away agriculture and other allied livelihoods. Therefore the Government cannot be allowed to take away land and common property resources such as forests, streams, ponds, grazing lands, etc. from the people, which are the basis of sustainable agriculture and allied livelihoods. Continued domination of feudal forces over land holding and implementation of pro-imperialist agricultural policies in the name of green revolution has led to crippling of Indian agriculture. After the serious ill effects of the first ‘green revolution’ policies the government is talking of second ‘green revolution’ by formulating the ‘National Policy for Farmers’ or ‘Krishi Vikash Yojna’ that the Prime Minister is slated to announce from the ramparts of the red fort on 15th August 2007. Imposition of GM seeds, contract farming and corporate control of agricultural sector are the basic elements of such a policy which where implemented are already destroying the backbone of the peasantry. Such policies will fasten the process of complete corporatisation of agriculture of India as has been done in the USA, Canada, and most west-European countries whereby only 2-5 % of the population control the entire agriculture of the country. Farmers’ suicides are a serious indicator of the great crisis facing Indian agriculture. In spite of the grave crisis in the rural economy of India that is forcing some farmers in some locations to abandon their lands and migrate to urban centres in search of jobs, people across India are giving supreme sacrifices to save their agricultural lands and livelihoods, the common property resources the forests, sources of water, etc. We have to fight for protection and restoration of Indian agriculture. Apart from protecting agriculture-based livelihoods, the objective of not allowing cultivable land and forestland for Industry is to ensure food security for the entire population of India, which is already under tremendous strain. There is a necessity for instilling confidence amongst the peasants and rural folk that alternate economic development is possible. Different groups across India are trying to implement alternate development models on a small scale. Different political forces working amongst people have their own vision of alternate development. The peasants of India realise that even in the prevailing situation of agrarian crisis gripping the country there is no other option but to stick to agriculture and allied occupations. Industrial development of India has to be in the interest of the masses and it can only happen on the basis of development of agriculture and that of the rural economy. We demand development of agriculture and the rural economy in the interest of the vast masses of India.

8. Throw Out Pro-Imperialist Policies:
We understand that forcible displacement of the people from their lands and livelihoods for establishment of mega industries/projects and establishment of exclusive economic enclaves by the MNCs and Indian corporates in the name of SEZs are part of the pro-imperialist policies that the Indian state has adopted. The imperialist globalisation policies being pursued by the Indian Government and all the state governments is to protect the interest of the global capital and allow its free movement across the world. This Imperialist globalisation has left the poor of India and even the lower middle classes in a precarious situation where for even the basic necessities of life people are to depend upon the market, which again is controlled by the imperialist forces (MNCs, World Bank, IMF, WTO, etc.) and their Indian agents (TATAs, Ambanis, Birlas, Zindals, Agrawals, Mittals, etc.). We realise that the people of India are now slave to a system that is controlled by the imperialist forces and their Indian agents on the one hand and the feudal lords who continue with their repressive apparatus in the rural areas. We further realise that the fight against forcible displacement and SEZs has to be part of a bigger struggle against the pro-imperialist policies of the Indian state. Agrarian revolutionary movements across the country have been part of the various streams of struggles against the present policies. We will join hands with all those forces that are fighting against pro-imperialist policies and intensify the struggle to throw out the pro-imperialist policies.

9. To Rise To Potential:
Our mass movements have played an important role in exposing the government and the ruling political parties. That the government and the ruling political parties are serving the interests of the imperialist forces and their Indian agents is now known to a large number of people across the country due to our mass movements and the continuous work done by many political forces who work amongst the people. In this period of upsurge mass movements many NGOs and foreign funded organisations are seen to be organising mass movements against displacement and have been trying to enter existing movements. These are forces of compromise and mostly agents of imperialism. They play a divisive role in the movements and must be exposed and isolated. The aim of all mass movements against displacement & SEZs is to be able to force the government to bring a halt to all land acquisition and withdraw anti-people and pro-imperialist industrialisation and SEZ policies. We realise that our mass movements have not been able to rise to this potential. We also realise that with the coming together of mass movements and political forces against displacement, land grabbing, SEZs and anti-people industrialisation across the country a co-ordinated and intensified struggle can be launched that would proceed in the direction of forcing the government to bring a halt to all land acquisition and withdraw anti-people and pro-imperialist industrialisation and SEZ policies.

10. Call For United and Intensified Struggle & Our Demands:
We realise that there is an urgent need to move beyond expressing solidarity with different movements and carrying out propaganda against forcible displacement, land grabbing and SEZs. We resolve that all mass movements against displacement, land grabbing, anti-people industrialisation, SEZs, etc. that are present in this convention will join hands and make appropriate efforts to join hands with all those political forces who would are and/or willing to support our mass movements and would be willing to support the demands as listed below to launch a united action. The National Convention Against Displacement and SEZs gives a call to all mass movements against displacement, land grabbing and SEZs and the political forces in support of these movements to fight unitedly and to intensify the struggle against Displacement, Land Grabbing and SEZs and co-operate with other forces in different struggles by establishing a co-ordination mechanism to carry forward a united and intensified struggle. We resolve to carry forward an intensive and countrywide struggle against displacement and SEZs till the state governments and the central government fulfil the following specific demands:

(1) Bring a Halt to all land acquisition/grabbing by/for MNCs & Indian corporates for anti-people industrialisation, for SEZs and in the name of development. No cultivable land and land that sustains livelihoods of people are to be alienated for any other purpose from the people. Repeal the colonial and anti-peasant and anti-people Land Acquisition Act, 1894.

(2) Bring a halt to all forms of state repression against mass movements and the activists of mass movements and give exemplary punishment to the perpetrators of police and other forms of repression.

(3) Withdraw the anti-people and pro-imperialist industrialisation, land grabbing and SEZ policies immediately and withdraw the SEZ status given to industrial and business units on a retrospective basis. Repeal the SEZ Act 2005.

(4) Withdraw the anti-people and pro-imperialist agriculture policies that are being pushed in the name of ‘National Policy for Farmers’ or ‘Krishi Vikash Yojna’ or by any other name and bring halt to contract farming, corporate farming, grabbing of cultivable land and corporate control of the agriculture marketing system.

(5) A white paper on Displacement since 1947 be published in a time bound manner and all the people who have been displaced by various projects since 1947 should be properly rehabilitated and resettled as per the R&R policies being developed by the central government within a fixed time period with land for the displaced.

(6) Undertake emergency measures to distribute land titles against all land under the occupation of the tribals and other peasants, which is being termed as Government land and distribute all cultivable lands that has been recorded in the name of Government to the landless within a fixed time period.

(7) Formulate and implement a people centred sustainable agriculture policy within a fixed time period giving focus to food grain production and a stable and appropriate income for the peasants and all those dependent upon the land based economy, which can be ensured by suitable institutional mechanisms and shouldering of the responsibility of remunerative prices for all crops by the government.

(8) Formulate and implement a people centred industrial policy that would include bringing a halt to privatisation of Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs), strengthening the existing PSEs, promote a pro-people mining policy and establishment of industries, which shall be of use to the vast masses of India.

(9) Withdraw all police cases against the leaders, activists and supporters of the mass movements against displacement, land grabbing and SEZs in a time bound manner.

(10) The government must adequately compensate all the martyr families and the injured in the struggle against displacement and SEZs since 1947 in a time bound manner.

We the following persons representing the mass movements and organisations mentioned against our names and individuals endorse the declaration as above and have put our signatures:

Published by
aseem
June 27, 2007 in SEZ News