KOLKATA riots, Army called in

[Spring Onion]

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November 21, 2007
Indian army called in to quell riots in Kolkata

by Sailendra Sil


KOLKATA, India, Nov 21, 2007 (AFP) - Indian soldiers were called out to quell riots in Kolkata on Wednesday after thousands of stone-pelting protesters demonstrated against violence by the state government's Marxist loyalists.

As street clashes that have killed one person continued into the evening, a strict night curfew was slapped on four areas of the city, police chief Gautam Mohan Chakraborty said.

"Free movement of the residents in these areas will be restricted," said Chakraborty. "Even an individual will have to take permission to move out of his home." The curfew runs from 10:00 pm (0430 GMT) to 6:00 am.

Police fought running battles with around 5,000 mainly Muslim demonstrators who threw stones and bottles and torched dozens of vehicles including an ambulance in the heart of the capital of communist-ruled West Bengal state.

At least one person was killed and 36 were injured in the clashes and more than 200 people were arrested, police said.

The protest was called by a Muslim group angered over violence in the state's majority-Muslim Nandigram district, where 34 people have died and thousands have been left homeless since January.

The rural area was earmarked as a petrochemical hub for Indonesia's Salim Group but protests by villagers, unwilling to give up their land, forced the government to scrap the plan.

Since then villagers on one side and communist party members and police on the other have been battling for control of the area.

The state's ruling Marxists, allies of the central government, called out the troops in Kolkata after police fired tear gas to break up the protests.

"Six army columns have been called into the troubled area," state Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy told reporters.

"There is tension. Right now we have an uneasy calm," city deputy police commissioner V.K Goyal told AFP. "We had to (earlier) resort to using baton charges and teargas shells," he said.

Earlier this month, Marxist squads loyal to the state government "recaptured" Nandigram and were accused of murder and gang raping women when they muscled their way into Nandigram.

The violence has prompted a fierce debate over the human cost of setting up hundreds of special economic zones (SEZs) designed to lure foreign investment to India.

Some 60 percent of Indians depend on agriculture for their livelihood and farmland conversion is a political hot potato. The federal parliament in New Delhi saw noisy scenes over the issue for the third day running.

"The villages were deserted. Many people are in refugee camps," opposition leader Lal Krishna Advani said in parliament.

"It was such a spectacle that I felt miserable," he said of the area.
AFP

[BATMAN]

November 21, 2007
The protest was called by a Muslim group angered over violence in the state's majority-Muslim Nandigram district, where 34 people have died and thousands have been left homeless since January. AFP

Why were those people killed and made home less?
Are they demanding separate homeland? or is it a usuall cast and religous issue?
With 5000 protesters it must be the world's biggest protest of the year!
Dose Ban Ki Mon knows about this?

[Awesome]

It seems like as far as I can remember this theme has been played over n over. Indian government trying to push squatters away and put atop a big industry.

[Spring Onion]

It seems like as far as I can remember this theme has been played over n over. Indian government trying to push squatters away and put atop a big industry.

Asim you are right i guess as the state government of West Bengal was also blamed for not doing enough to stop it.
Industrilization is not bad but its realy shocking to trun the farm land into industries.
Why on earth they are not doing enough to save farmers from committing suicide out of poverty instead of spending billions on indstrilization

Nandigram faced horrible Killings in the for about one month
BATMAN Let me post the chronolgy so you can understand.
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Economic zone plans polarise India


By Paranjoy Guha Thakurta
India economic analyst


India's intention to set up a slew of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) is being vigorously opposed by an unlikely combination of interest groups.


There are fears that the economic zones will eat up prime farmland

Politicians of the extreme left and right have joined with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the head of India's Central Bank to oppose the SEZs.

So why are they - and a wide cross-section of other people - so opposed to an initiative that on paper at least provides for special export-promoting industrial areas with superior infrastructure facilities and tax concessions?

The enclaves are meant to showcase the country's manufacturing prowess and its burgeoning services sector, especially its world-class enterprises in the area of information technology.

'Economic hardship'

They are the brainchild of India's centre-left government - led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who began India's economic liberalisation process in the early 1990s.

[The SEZ policy is the] biggest land grab movement in the history of modern India

Critics of the proposed SEZs say that rather than promote prosperity, the zones will in fact create economic hardship because they would be built on prime agricultural land, without adequate compensation for farmers.

They say that the zones would become "islands of affluence in a sea of deprivation", only serving to exacerbate India's already wide regional imbalances.

The communists - who provide crucial "outside" support to Mr Singh's minority government - lay emphasis on the farmers' interests, arguing the case strongly for more compensation.

Their view is shared by some senior members of the government, including Sonia Gandhi, widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and head of the Congress party. She said recently that the government must safeguard the interests of the farmers "under any circumstances".

All this puts great pressure on Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath.

Mr Nath's critics also include the Finance Minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, who has publicly stated that he fears the central government could stand to lose billions of dollars of tax revenue because of the special concessions given to firms that will operate in the SEZs.


INDIA'S SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES

181 zones approved by September 2006
Areas range from 10 to 100 hectares
Industries allowed 100% tax exemption on export profits for first five years
100% foreign direct investment allowed in industries under automatic route
Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana and Gujarat states lead in proposed SEZ commitments

Mr Nath argues that new economic activity generated by the zones would more than compensate the government for revenue lost from tax-breaks.

The SEZ act was passed by parliament last year, but became controversial after the Commerce and Industry Ministry released detailed rules and guidelines.

Critics of the government said these rules should have been finalised before granting approval "in-principle" to the SEZ projects.

The first export processing zone - or free trade zone as they were earlier known - in Asia was built near the western Indian port of Kandla more than four decades ago.

But things have changed a lot since then, and the authorities say that they want to emulate the success of SEZs operating in Shenzhen and Pudong - in Hong Kong and Shanghai respectively.

Both have become huge urban agglomerations of concrete and steel, and both have generated huge amounts of cash. Each year, exports from Shenzhen alone exceed India's total exports.

Unlike China, which has developed only six large export-oriented industrial areas, the Indian government has approved the establishment of over 170 SEZs and many more are in the pipeline.

Retaliatory measures

Most of these are clustered around already-industrialised cities like Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay).

The government contends that India's democracy makes it difficult to allow one corporate group to set up a SEZ and not another. They argue that India's proven capabilities in exporting computer software and outsourcing mean that smaller SEZs are more appropriate.

But critics say that the policy would be misused for real estate development rather than for generating exports.

They argue that companies will simply relocate to SEZs to take advantage of the tax concessions being offered. This would not create new jobs, they say, but merely displace people.

Others point out that the tax subsidies being offered by the government may well be challenged in the World Trade Organisation, and could attract trade retaliatory measures from importing countries.

While state governments, including the communist-led West Bengal government in eastern India, have joined the rush to set up as many SEZs as possible, local authorities are under attack for brokering land acquisition deals that benefit real estate developers rather than farmers.


Many Indian politicians fear farmers will suffer

The clamour of criticism has forced Mr Nath to backtrack in some cases. His ministry has changed a number of guidelines relating to the acquisition of fertile land and on the space allowed within SEZs for the construction of housing, shopping malls and recreational outlets.

Much to the chagrin of the Commerce and Industry Minister, the Reserve Bank of India has directed all banks lending money for projects set up in SEZs to charge higher interest rates - similar to those paid on loans advanced for commercial real estate development.

Historians like Sumit Sarkar describe the SEZ policy as the "biggest land grab movement in the history of modern India".

But where earlier movements were led by the poor to acquire land, this time round it is the rich that want to "grab" land belonging to poor farmers.

As the government continues to change its rules on SEZs, opposition to their establishment is unlikely to diminish in the near future.




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BBC NEWS | South Asia | Economic zone plans polarise India

[Flintlock]

Indian commies have finally outdone their Chinese gurus.

[Spring Onion]

Indian commies have finally outdone their Chinese gurus.

Forget about the politics SA just look at all aspects of the issue.

The industrilization how will benefit the poor farmers if they are left landless that too without having any major benefit pluse as stated in the news the setting of Industrial zones will lead to real Estate business rather than actual export

But critics say that the policy would be misused for real estate development rather than for generating exports.

They argue that companies will simply relocate to SEZs to take advantage of the tax concessions being offered. This would not create new jobs, they say, but merely displace people.

[Flintlock]

Forget about the politics SA just look at all aspects of the issue.

The industrilization how will benefit the poor farmers if they are left landless that too without having any major benefit pluse as stated in the news the setting of Industrial zones will lead to real Estate business rather than actual export

But critics say that the policy would be misused for real estate development rather than for generating exports.

They argue that companies will simply relocate to SEZs to take advantage of the tax concessions being offered. This would not create new jobs, they say, but merely displace people.

Frankly I don't know much about this SEZ business, perhaps Bushroda or someone would know better whether its beneficial or not.

Manmohan Singh seems to think that it is beneficial, and considering his track record, and considering that this has been an aggressive policy and it has worked in China, I guess I trust his decision.

As far as the commies are concerned, they don't care about individual rights and such drivel. The CPM party workers went around "reclaiming the land" from the traitors. Its not unusual in Bengal, as the commies have ruled there since Independence.

Also, the govt. is doing a very shoddy job of relocating and compensating the farmers losing their land.....which is probably why the people are protesting. Not to mention that social activists like Medha Patkar et al have been camping there exhorting the farmers not to give up their land.

Basically its a big mess and a great example of how a government mismanages a situation.

[Bushroda]

SEZs are government's exit strategy from the ludicrous labour laws that have plagued Indian manufacturing & industries. Basically from whatever I know(right or wrong) no or very few central government's labour laws apply in the SEZs & the company rules arn't that strict. Let's say it is all a part of industrial reforms necessary to uplift millions of poor out of poverty. Over decades govt has supported & nursed farm sector like its favorite child. Even today, farmers are entitled for free electricity, over 70% subsidy in the purchase of seeds, fertilizers and not to mention total tax exemption for their farm income. But yet, farm sector has very little to show now. So I find it rather a naive statement that Government is not doing enough to save farmers from committing suicide out of poverty instead of spending billions on indstrilization. First of all, suicide belt is in Vidarbha where there is no protest over SEZs. Nandigram is over 1000km away in West Bengal & I havn't heard of a suicide incident by a farmer there. Second, industrialization is the way forward. GoI has already announced a $4 billion relief package for Vidarbha farmers but that isn't going to stop the process of industrialization.

Process of reform is chaotic. Even in China several hundred million people got displaced. But, today they have a hope for a better life. So, I don't think why India should be criticized for moving forward towards Industrialization. Having said that Nandigram is due to the mismanagement of Commie Government in WB. I don't even think there was any need to ask for army intervention. CRPF could've done the job better. There are thousands of SEZ coming up allover India & nowhere, apart from Nandigram, there is any kind of commotion.

[Tiki Tam Tam]

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Nandigram is not a Moslem district.

In Bengal there are ******* everywhere.

Apart from Nandigram, it was because Taslima Nasreen the Bangladeshi author of Lajja, who has a Bangladeshi fatwa on her, was granted visa to stay in India.

I reckon given that as a reason would also mean that the Communists should also riot since Dalai Lama has been given asylum in India!

It was not ******* at work. It was the infighting amongst the Moslem politicians over supremacy who mustered their lumpen lot!

This is evident since they confined the problem in Moslem dominated areas alone!

As far as using force for industrialisation, it is being done in China and so the Bengal Communists are only following their mentors!