Shiv Sena parliamentarian tonsures head in support of Nagpur farmers

A Shiv Sena parliamentarian has tonsured his head as a mark of support for farmers in Nagpur who are demanding better compensation for lands acquired by the Maharashtra Government for a cargo hub project.

Nagpur, June 26 : A Shiv Sena parliamentarian has tonsured his head as a mark of support for farmers in Nagpur who are demanding better compensation for lands acquired by the Maharashtra Government for a cargo hub project.

The State Government has acquired 14 villages for the 30 billion rupee project, spread over 2,556 hectares in Shipangaon village near the Nagpur Airport.

Hundreds of farmers have tonsured their heads over the past month or so, alleging that the compensation package offered to them by the State Government is inadequate.

Women too have shaved off their heads in protest.

"You would have seen how women got their heads tonsured here, a first in the country. I have registered my protest with the government on resettlement issues, but it is deaf and mute. But the Shiv Sena will fully back the farmers, and take on the government if it tries messing around with farmers' lives," said Prakash Jadhav, the Shiv Sena parliamentarian.

Widespread violence in March over a proposed industrial hub in Nandigram in West Bengal made the State Government shelve the project and the Central re-evaluate its acquisition policy.

In April, the Central Government ended a two-month freeze on SEZ (Special Economic Zones) approvals, breathing new life into plans for large tax-free enclaves that ran into trouble over controversial purchases of farmland.

A panel of ministers have already been set up to look into problems related to all aspects of SEZs. It also capped the maximum land area for the multi-product tax-free zones at 5,000 hectares.

ANI