Plan land use for the right SEZ

The reason why agricultural land is used for non-agricultural purposes should be examined carefully. Until now it was mostly to cater to residential use, but when it is used for industrial purposes the surrounding areas are also encroached upon to base ancillary units. The same will happen with the proposed Special Economic Zones SEZs. One could argue that these activities would lead to better economic returns as compared to when it is used for agriculture, that more people would benefit in terms of gainful employment and that these areas would act as a catalyst for growth. After all, developed, industrial countries have reduced their agricultural activity and rely on imports, and India could certainly benefit from the same.

The land use policy guidelines approved by the 8216;National Land Use and Waste Land Development Council8217; in 1986, have a clause that states, 8220;urban policy must be restructured so as to ensure that highly productive land is not taken away. Town planning should also provide for green belts8221;. This could be a model for development.

Islands of development need to be integrated with the hinterland, whose inhabitants feel neglected. Economic equality aside, food security is as important as any other security measures we take. Let all prime agriculture land around our cities be identified through a scientific survey and be declared as protected land.

There have been suggestions that SEZs may be encouraged in wastelands so that the biological production potential of prime agriculture lands can be preserved. Let President A.P.J. Kalam8217;s dream of PURA Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas be fulfilled, with urban amenities reaching rural areas.

Since all states have different agrarian and land use scenarios, it was left to them to evolve a set of rules governing the land use options that served their interests. Land, thus, became a state subject. As yet no state has come out with a concrete land use policy. Kerala is the first state to have a Land Use Act, empowering the government to prevent the holder of land from using it to cultivate anything other than food crops, or for any other purposes. This was necessitated because of the large-scale conversions of paddy lands to plantation crops for economic gain.

Most urban master plans have a provision for the conversion of agriculture lands to non-agriculture use. Similarly there are legislations like the Karnataka Act 31 of 1974, which deal with the issue of the conversion of land use from agriculture to non-agriculture. But their approach is largely revenue-oriented. No attempt is made to approach the land problem from the point of view that it is a finite natural resource, and which takes its quality into consideration.

The per capita availability of land is decreasing at a fast pace. The pace is quicker when it comes to good quality agriculture land, due to heavy demand and an increasing population. Scientifically, prime agriculture lands are located in valleys or in the plains where favourable climatic conditions prevail. Interestingly these are the same areas where urbanisation has also taken place at a faster pace.

It would be useful to remember that not all land in India is cultivable. Therefore, if cultivable land is put to industrial use, we lose out on the chance of ever using it for agricultural purposes again. That is why it is important that SEZs should not take away more cultivable land from the country but instead be used as a tool for creating more town centres in the hinterland and thereby encouraging more balanced and sustainable economic development.

The writer is principal scientist, National Bureau of Soil Survey 038; Land Use Planning, Nagpur. Views are his own