Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday ruled out the possibility of creating Special Economic Zones and said the state government would not acquire land by using force for industrialisation of the state.
"I must make it very clear that there will be no use of force for acquisition of land as I do not not want a repeat of Nandigram in Bihar," Kumar said.
The "government is dead against creating SEZs," he said. The government was committed to set up agro-based industries for which land would have to be acquired, Kumar told reporters after hearing people's grievances at his official residence in Patna.
He said those opposing the move should understand that industrialisation was a must for the development of any state and increasing the GDP and per capita income.
Industries would be set up in the state only when people would give their land on their own.
"If industries will not be set up in Bihar, the state will become the migration centre of labourers. Political parties opposed to government's initiatives to industrialise Bihar after its bifurcation should understand that the NDA government's move to set up agro-based industries is in the interest of the state and the people whose per capita income is lowest in the country," the chief minister said.
Referring to the opposition of land acquisition at Hajipur for setting up an industrial park, the chief minister said he had already ordered an inquiry into it.
But initial inquiry report suggest that a few "powerful persons" who had acquired the gairmajura (government land) by force were behind the agitation.
"The government will definitely free the government land from the possession of unscrupulous elements," Kumar said.
Stating that Bihar's compensation policy for land acquisition was perhaps the best in the country, the chief minister said the policy had even provisions for paying house rent and carrying the house hold goods to the new dwelling whose house would be acquired for infrastructure development work.
More from rediff