No collateral damage

Debabrata Bandyopadhyay, director of land records and surveys in two United Front governments in West Bengal during the late 1960s, is widely recognised for his contributions to land-reform policy. He talks with Anindya Bhattacharya about the matter of acquisition of agricultural lands.

Anindya Bhattacharya: The National Agricultural Commission recently submitted a report to the New Delhi government in which it cautions against the SEZ policy and the wanton acquisition of fertile lands. Yet the West Bengal government has been acquiring acre after acre of fertile land in the name of setting up industries. What is the importance of agriculture in a country like India? 
Debabrata Bandyopadhyay: In October 2006, I met M S Swaminathan soon after he submitted that report to the union government. In his report, he discourages industrialisation and urbanisation from taking place on agricultural lands. He also adds that if productive lands are bought up or occupied and the farmers lose their jobs, this will not only put the farmers themselves in peril, but could also lead to significant food scarcity. This issue clearly needs further study before far-reaching decisions can be made. A country can never prosper by encroaching on farmland, by rendering farmers jobless or shelter-less, or by increasing food scarcity. For the development of a country, there should be no collateral damage: it is not acceptable to harm many people for the benefit of a few. If that is done forcibly, there will be a conflict, either non-violent or violent.