Mangalore Special Economic Zone or MSEZ is a

Special Economic Zone A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...

spread across 1,600 acres in

Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

MSEZ is managed by ''Mangalore Special Economic Zone Limited(MSEZL)''. The MSEZL is located from

city center, off Cochin-Mumbai NH 66, from

Mangalore International Airport Mangalore International Airport (also known as Mangaluru International Airport) is an international airport serving the coastal city of Mangalore in the state of Karnataka, India. It is one of only two international airports in the state, t ...

and from all-weather deep-draft sea port,

New Mangalore Port New Mangalore Port or New Mangalore Port Trust(NMPT) is an all-weather port at Panambur, Mangalore in Karnataka state in India. The total land area of the port is approximately . The New Mangalore Port is the deepest inner harbour on the wes ...

. MSEZL is jointly promoted by Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), a Fortune 500 Company and Infrastructure Leasing & Finance Services (IL&FS), Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) and Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). A unique combination of Government entities, a large financial institution and an apex chamber brings in the expertise to develop MSEZL with world-class industrial infrastructure.

Land acquisition and Controversis

In 2012, the Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) initiated the acquisition of approximately 1,800 acres of land in the Nellidadi,

Bajpe Bajpe is a locality in Mangalore city of Dakshina Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, now also known as Bajpe Town, India. It is around from the city of Mangalore. The Mangalore International Airport is located at Bajpe and was previo ...

area, which included the historic Nellidadi Guthu house and the Kantheri Dhoomavathi Temple. This move faced strong opposition from the local community, particularly the 350 members of the Nellidadi Guthu family, who were unwilling to relocate from their ancestral land and sacred sites. Despite assurances from MSEZ officials that the temple would remain unaffected, residents reported instances of harassment and

demolition Demolition (also known as razing and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction (building), deconstruction, which inv ...

of properties without prior notice. The community expressed their determination to protect their heritage, even filing legal actions to halt the acquisition process. MSEZ sent 60 goons to demolish their house on May 10 and harassed a number of people, including women and children. After forcibly acquiring all the land, company were not able to acquire the Dhoomavathi Temple and the Nellidadi Guthu house. They gave special permission to the members of the house to enter the temple and Housefor the worship of Daiva. However, in March 2025, they restricted them from worshipping the god again.

References

{{coord missing, Karnataka Special Economic Zones of India Economy of Mangalore Oil and Natural Gas Corporation