After violence in Nandigram, the Government has decided not to give further approvals for Special Economic Zones where acquisition of land is being resisted.

"When land is to be acquired and it is not decided how the land will be taken and justice done to farmers the freeze would remain (on SEZs even if they have other approvals)," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Study Conference.

On Thursday, he had said that the Empowered Group of Ministers on SEZs would look "distinctively" at the cases where land was not an issue and where acquisition was a problem.

This would ease the way for notification of around 172 proposals of SEZs, where land was available and formal approval of the Board of Approval has been received.

Nath had also said that violence in Nandigram was triggerred due to acquisition of land and not the SEZ policy.

"We should not look at it as a SEZ issue but one of land acquisition for industrial projects," he said.

The eGoM headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has not met since January and there is a freeze on fresh approvals and notifications.

Meanwhile, pressure was mounting on the Centre to unlock the movement on SEZs. Five chief ministers and some Union ministers have written to the eGoM to notify the cases where land was available.

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