A day after the Goa government scrapped all seven Special Economic Zones in the state; the Centre is worried about its impact on investors and the future of other SEZs in the country.
But Goa’s ruling Congress is defiant.
”The previous government was for SEZs so we allotted the land. The government is against it so we are doing what the government wants,” said Chandrakant Kavlekar, Chairman, Goa Industrial Development Corporation.
Verna is one of the three notified SEZs in the state. Four others will also be affected because of this decision. In all, the seven SEZs occupy an area of over 35 lakh square metres.
The SEZ developers that will now face the heat include K Raheja Corporation, Cipla’s Meditab Specialties Private Limited and Peninsula Pharma Research Centre among others.
Goa had seen widespread local agitation against SEZs last year. This has further strengthened the resolve of locals.
”We welcome this move, but the government should look at this as an opportunity to investigate the large scale corruption and land grab which has happened as a result,” said Charles Fernandes, SEZ Virodhi Manch.
For the Congress, the decision of its own government comes as a huge embarrassment.
According to sources, the Centre will try to persuade the Goa government to reconsider and if not, affected SEZ developers can always approach the courts.
Courtesy: NDTV
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