New Delhi, Mumbai: A mega blow has been dealt to Mukesh Ambani's plans to convert Raigad into Maharashtra's biggest SEZ. The Supreme Court has refused to speed up land acquisition for the 10,000 hectre project.
Protests by farmers has ensured that three years and Rs 600 crores later, Reliance has only managed to buy a fraction of the land it needs.
Half the villages in Raigad voted against the project in a referendum last year and the opposition continues.
Says anti-SEZ activist Ulka Mahajan: "The Supreme Court has given us victory."
And now, with the assembly elections just 5 months away, the government has also become more cautious.
Says state Revenue Minister Patangrao Kadam: "We will receive the report in 8 days. We will respect the people's verdict."
India's SEZ mania led to over 560 special economic zones being cleared in the last three years with little thought about where farmers displaced from thousands of acres of land would go. Singur, Nandigram and now Maha Mumbai have shown acquiring land for large industrial projects is not going to be easy.