BANGALORE/MYSORE: In a major victory in the antiland acquisition movement, the state government on Tuesday denotified 1,998 acres of land acquired for the proposed Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) in Dakshina Kannada district.The government was forced to take this decision in a hurry following a threat by Vishwesha Teertha Swamiji of Udupi Pejawar Mutt on Tuesday morning to launch an indefinite hunger strike which was scheduled to start from Wednesday.Sensing the consequences of the seer's protest, the state government made a quick move. Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani, after getting permission from Yeddyurappa, who is currently in Delhi, started the process of denotification and ensured that 1,998 acres of land was denotified through a special notification.In 2007, the KIADB had issued a preliminary notification to acquire 2,035 acres of land for MSEZ.But, the stiff protests from the farmers and the social activists including Pejawar seer had forced the government to stop from going ahead with the acquisition.The government had even promised to denotify the land when Pejawar seer threatened to go on a strike last year. Since the government did not keep up its promise, Pejawar Seer on Tuesday issued an ultimatum to the state government that he would go on an indefinite hunger strike from Wednesday if the government did not issue orders to denotify the land.The threat ultimately forced the government to bow down.This decision of the state government has cast a shadow on the future of the Rs 36,000 crore South Korean steel giant Posco's power plant to be set up at Halligudi in Gadag district.Earlier in the day, Pejawar Seer while announcing his decision to go on a stir demanded the government not to acquire fertile land for industries. "Forceful acquisition of land is like forceful religious conversion. Acquisition of fertile land also goes against the Central and state government guidelines, he said.He said that he would decide on staging an indefinite hunger strike against the proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and UPCL Thermal Power plant after a meeting to be held in Mangalore on Wednesday. The seer said that he has not received any letter from the government about dropping the proposal, which, according to him, goes against the wishes of the people of the region.Addressing the press here in Mysore on Tuesday, he said that he will go on fast if the government fails to drop the proposal to set up 2,350acre SEZ and thermal power plant at Padubidri.Extending his support to the seers who are leading the protest against the acquisition of fertile land for Posco project in Gadag, he said that the government should conduct a survey and identify government land and wasteland instead of acquiring fertile land.
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