Abandon SEZ plans: Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy has travelled to different parts of the country, especially to troubled zones (TOI Photo)

KOLKATA: Writer and social activist Arundhati Roy has travelled to different parts of the country, especially to troubled zones, to feel the pulse of the people.

"People across the country have begun to realize that they have to fight for their rights or risk losing everything. The fight is on in Orissa, in Chhattisgarh, in Kashmir, in the North-East and, here in Nandigram, where people have waged a spectacular struggle. I salute them."

She said: "The real problem is the policies that the Bengal government is pursuing. If it does not abandon plans for building SEZs, then bloodshed is certain, if not in Nandigram, then elsewhere."

Roy claimed that SEZs will turn the country into a police state. "The government will have to decide how many dead bodies per SEZ it wants. How many will be acceptable to this great democracy?"

"There is a notion outside West Bengal that Trinamul and Maoists have captured land from the Marxists and now Marxists have regained their land. When I was there at Sonachura in June, the place seemed to be under siege by the police and the 'cadre' police'. People don't want police there and also don't believe in the chief minister's assurances."

Criticising chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for okaying the Dow Chemical proposal to set up the chemical hub, she said: "He is trying to show international investors that there is no resistance against him. Otherwise, investors will go away. The government cannot tolerate this."

She says the CM is a poor scriptwriter. "Whether it is Nandigram or Rizwan or Taslima, his scripts have been crude, unsubtle, far too easy to see through."

The writer added: "CPM is in power for over three decades and so it has absolute control over every institution. From the panchayat member to the roadside cigarette seller, all bow to them."

Timesofindia

Maoists eye SEZs in Delhi, Mumbai

Projects planned by big business are on their radar

NEW DELHI: Maoists are increasingly forming bases in the special economic zones (SEZs) of Mumbai and the National Capital Region comprising Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida.

In addition, Rajasthan is also seeing a lot of activity.

The SEZ in Mumbai is actually planned in Navi Mumbai encompassing Dronagiri, Kalamboli, Ulwe and the JNPT area.

A senior security official said a document recovered from Maoists also showed that they plan to enter areas where some big business houses are investing.

Some of the big names include the Ambanis, Tatas, Jindals, Tatas, Essar and the Mittal group.

"There are some non-government organisations that have come under the scanner of intelligence agencies and we are keeping a watch on them," he said.

A report prepared during the recent director-general conference in Delhi says that in all, three SEZ areas have been seeing large-scale Maoist penetration.

This has become an issue of concern to security agencies, more so when Maoist sympathisers do not just offer a cover but also help them increase their contact with people living in the area.

"By penetrating in Delhi and Mumbai, Maoists do not just want to increase their influence but also send a message that they want to emerge from their jungle strongholds and operate in cities," said a senior security official.

"What worries us more is that people and organisations are helping them form bases," he added. There are now indications that Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai are also on the radar.

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