Agri-economist suggests evolving a policy to determine extent of land required for different industries
Ahead of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's meeting with Devanahalli farmers scheduled on July 15 to discuss their demand for shelving land acquisition, noted agriculture economist T.N. Prakash Kammaradi has called for taking industry leaders into confidence by involving them in consultations. He also stressed the need for evolving a policy on 'comprehensive land acquisition and transparent land use plan for industries.'
In an interaction with The Hindu, Dr. Kammaradi, who has also served as chairman of the Karnataka Agricultural Prices Commission, observed that industry had not been involved in any of the consultations over demand for shelving the land acquisition for the proposed Defence and Aerospace Park. He urged the industry leaders to play a pro-active role in resolving this issue.
'Though the entire episode of farmers' struggle for more than 1,190 days in Devanahalli is over acquisition of their farm lands for industrial purpose, the industries' representatives are not in the picture in consultations and debate,' he said. Taking industries into confidence would go a long way in finding an amicable solution, he maintained.
No clear norms
Also, Dr. Kammaradi observed that there was no clarity on the quantum of land required for different kinds of industries.
'There are no clear cut norms before the government to decide the quantum of land required for various kinds of industries based on their activities and nature of functioning. Hence there is a feeling in some sections that disproportionate tracts of lands have been sanctioned to some industries in earlier cases, though they do not require that amount of space. In this context, there is a need to assess the land requirement for different industries in a scientific manner by involving all the stake holders, experts and academicians,' he argued.
Policy focus
A policy should be evolved to suggest the ideal locations for different industries by taking into consideration their requirements, employment creation potential and need for uniform and decentralised growth in different areas of the State, he said.
Dr. Kammaradi pointed out that most policies so far have stressed the need to keep out only irrigated lands (command areas of irrigation project) out of acquisition. 'In the present context, there is a need to insulate even the borewell (groundwater) irrigated lands that are fertile and enabling cultivation of multiple crops in a year from land acquisition to ensure food and nutritional security,' he argued. The main intention should be to ensure that farmers' interests are not hurt and industrialisation too is not hit.
He suggested that prestigious institutions like Indian Institute of Management-Bengaluru, Institute for Social and Economic Change and Institute for Indian Institute of Plantation Management among other ICAR institutes should be involved in the process of evolving such a policy.
Dr. Kammaradi maintains that evolving such a policy and involving industries and experts in the process would provide clarity regarding land acquisition not just with respect to Devanahalli case, but elsewhere in the State.
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