SVM urges PM to scrap SEZ

The SEZ Virodhi Manch has urged Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh to take cognisance of the mass anti-SEZ movement taking shape in Goa and direct the Chief Minister to work towards the immediate withdrawal of the SEZ policy in Goa.

In a memorandum forwarded via the Secretariat, the Manch drew attention of the Prime Minister to the peaceful protests against the notified and the proposed SEZs in GoaSaying that the SVM is a people’s movement against SEZ in Goa and is totally non-partisan, the Manch said the decision of the State Government to introduce 16 SEZs in a small State of Goa is without doubt detrimental to the future of Goa and its people.

“Information obtained through RTI reveals that no impact assessment or any feasibility study was done before sending the SEZs for approval to the Central Government. The people of Goa are strongly opposed to SEZs in Goa and will always reiterate their demands with a resounding No to SEZs”, the Manch said.

The Manch further drew attention of the Prime Minister that despite mass mobilisation and a collective opposition of the people of Goa against SEZ, the Congress-led government has shown total apathy towards the concerns of the common people. “The apathy of the government has only resolved the people towards further action. We may not appear to be able to forecast what course of action this movement will take, but we remain strongly convinced and resolved that the people of Goa will oppose the establishment of any SEZs in Goa and will fight towards the scrapping of all the existing SEZs by all means, even if means risking our own very lives”, added Manch convenor Charles Fernandes.

National meet

A National Strategy Meeting on SEZ,
held at the Gandhi Peace Foundation, Delhi on 19th – 20th December’07.

Pravin Sabnis and Orville De Silva represented the Goa Bachao Abhiyan at the meeting organized by NAPM (National Association of Peoples’ Movements), Pairvi and NCAS (National Centre for Advocacy Studies).

Pravin Sabnis made a presentation on the Goa scenario on the 19th December 2007.

Representatives of movements against SEZs from West Bengal, Orissa, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Uttaranchal, UP, MP, AP, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat were present. Prominent speakers included Dr. Rajendra Ravi of NAPM, Bhupendra Singh Rawat, Sudhir Patnaik, Aseem Srivastav, Madhumita Dutta, Rifat Mumtaz and others.

Medha Patkar's message to Goans

Statement from Ms. Medha Patkar against SEZs in Goa

Throughout India the anti-people policies of the Government have caused enormous pain and suffering to the common masses. Under the name of development massive injustices are being inflicted on the people, and policies are being forcefully implemented without concern for the people’s opinion and interest. The Nandigram events have exposed the fact that from right to left, all the political parties are against people. They use their army, both their party cadres and police to instill fear in the minds of people and suppress any voices of dissension, and take away land and resources.

SEZs are being projected upon as the new ‘avatars’ of development that will alleviate poverty and under development. All the political parties and some elite sections of the society seem to be so convinced of this development strategy that they have unanimously passed resolutions in support of SEZs. The official justification put forth in support of SEZ viz, increase in growth, investment, employment, export and infrastructure has been repeatedly disproved. Instead, of an increase in employment, there has been a decline, we import more than we export. In fact, SEZs has increased displacement, migration, loss of jobs, and destroyed shared growth. This massive ‘land loot’ across the country has generated much controversy and apprehension, giving rise to strong public outcry and militant protests.

These disquieting circumstances have not deterred the government of Goa in implementing and imposing the SEZ policy on the people of Goa violating all natural and human rights of the people. It is incomprehensible that 18 SEZs are being planned for a small state like Goa which has limited land holding.

I express my solidarity and support to the people of Goa who have come together under the banner of SEZ Virodhi Manch. It is the movements like this which act as a forum for peoples concern and keep our democracy active. So let us persevere and continue the relentless battle against these anti-people policies. Let this struggle reach out to all sections of people so that its demands become shared by all. Let this movement defeat the loot of people’s livelihood.

- Medha Patkar

Goans want PEZ

The historic Lohia Maidan at Margao
resonated to the voice of solidarity
of the over 5000 determined Goans
who have voiced a resounding
NO to any SEZs in Goa.
The Goans demanded PEZ instead!
(PEZ - People’s Economic Zone)

The public meeting of
SEZ Virodhi Manch
Was addressed by
representatives from different villages
who are fighting the diabolical SEZs
that are a ploy to create 18 foreign nations within Goa
that seek to displace Goans
and destroy the environment of Goa.
Activists of Goa Bachao Abhiyan, Centre for Social Justice and Peace, Jagrut Goem and internationally renowned fashion Designer, Wendell Rodricks also spoke on the occasion.

A message of solidarity from Medha Patkar was read at the meeting.

A gathering unanimously resolved that
* Resolutions opposing SEZs be passed by every Gramsabha on 19 December 2007 (Goa Liberation Day) to decry the creation of 18 nations within Goa and thus attacking the freedom of our motherland.
* Every MLA/politician to participate in his/her own Gramsabha and publicly state their position of SEZs in Goa.
* A CBI enquiry to be instituted to unearth the scam behind the hasty approvals of fraudulent applications for the SEZs.

The SEZ Virodhi Manch has threatened to
intensify the agitation
if the Government does not de-notify the all the SEZs
and return the land back to the Goans!

amka naka SEZ

There are 3 kinds of Goans
- those who MAKE things happen
- those who WATCH things happen
- and those who WONDER what happened

Let’s MAKE things happen
TODAY
by showing our solidarity
with our proactive presence at the
PUBLIC MEETING
called by the SEZ Virodhi Manch
on 14 December 2007
4.00 pm onwards
at LOHIA MAIDAN, Margao

amka naka SEZ amka zai PEZ
(PEZ – People’s Economic Zone)

(protest in verse inspired by Dr Manoharrai Sardessai)
Goenkara tuka kitem zai
SEZ zai kai PEZ zai?
Goenkar mhuntta “aik Sorkara
Maka SEZ naka PEZ zai

Goenkarank raupak kitle haal
Bhaileank mat SEZ mahal

Marginalising Adivasis

Marginalising the Adivasis of Goa

GOA: PROCESSED, CANNED AND SOLD!

By Orville de silva

The common man's government is back in news; and this time for a very uncommon purpose. The ideological common man that the present government wishes to serve is the very person it now wishes to annihilate. And how!

The proposed food park and the auxiliary services for the Food Park at Quittol in Quepem taluka is yet another of the present state government's attempts at further marginalising the already marginalised. Before we make our case, we should probably get our facts right. As per a government notification (22/20/2006-RD) dated June 14, 2006, the present government ordered the acquisition of 6,91,425 square metres of land on the Quittol plateau for the purpose of a food park. The government further took possession of 4,18,155 square metres of this land on April 17, 2007 in order to provide "auxiliary services" for the proposed food park. Further still, the government invoked the Urgency Clause under Section 17 and sub-section 1 & 4 in order to take possession of this land.

What is probably more disturbing is that 2,50,125 of the total 4,18,155 square metres of the land grabbed by the state government belongs to the Kunbis who form part of a tribal community living in Ambelim. And this is not the first time that these humble peace-loving people have been robbed off their lands. In 1989 the Goa government had acquired 1, 50,000 square metres of land belonging to the Kunbis from Ambelim and handed it over to the ONGC for which they are yet to receive any compensation. The people were promised employment once the land would get developed. However, what developed in their lands were only huge villas for the ONGC staff. The Kunbis continued to live a poorer existence in their lowly settlements. No job opportunities whatsoever were provided to them. Instead of further marginalising the Kunbis, why couldn't the present government acquire the unused barren land from the ONGC?

Why create such a hue and cry over the land of the Kunbis? For such an answer, one would have to study the social setting and lifestyle of the Kunbis. Probably the government is not aware that in the monsoons, the Kunbis from Ambelim would put up temporary sheds in Naqueri (the acquired land for "auxiliary services" for the proposed food park) and would live there for 4 months. In the past, since there were no roads, the produce from the fields was brought to their permanent settlement in Ambelim with the help of canoes along the River Sal. The Kunbis have derived their identity from many such cultural activities. The government probably needs to know that the Kunbis and the Gawdas have their peculiar folksongs, dances and ways of speaking Konkani which need to be preserved. Dispossessing the tribals and alienating them from their own land is grave injustice.

In 2002, the Kunbis, Gawdas and Velips of Goa were classified as Scheduled Tribe communities. A government survey of 2003 further stated that 12.5 percent of Goa's population belonged to tribal communities. Unfortunately, beyond recognising these groups as tribals, there has been no policy in favour of their development. Similarly, there has been no effort made by the government to study tribal art, culture and traditions. Today, these tribal communities constitute a vulnerable group. Shouldn't then it be the utmost responsibility and duty of the government to protect and promote the interest and welfare of these tribal communities?

The growing naxalite groups in tribal areas such as Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and other regions bears witness to the unjust social structures that their governments had created. While the government along with the high caste class people grabbed the land of the tribals, the tribals were left with no other option than going underground. What has continued as a legacy in these parts of India is pure militant action that has unleashed its violence on the common masses. Taking away land from the tribals is more than a heinous crime. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to think of Goa one day becoming a base for naxalites.

Another great concern regarding the proposed food park has been the manner in which the government has hurriedly acquired the land. One fails to understand the urgency of the government in invoking the Urgency Clause. It has left no room for the people to file their objections. The Land Acquisition Act in itself is a draconian law. Terms such as "public purpose" in Section 4 of the Act are left highly ambiguous and have not been clearly defined. With numerous public debates and deliberations on this Act, the central government promised to put a new Land Acquisition Act in place. A proper working of this Act is yet to materialise.

One would have to question the government's strategy in invoking Section 17 in acquiring the land. What was the urgency? What "auxiliary services" does the government intend to provide? In a recent ruling of the High Court, the government had to withdraw its notification of invoking the Urgency Clause in acquiring the total 8,83,576 square metres of land for the main food park at Quittol. So what is going to happen to the 4,18,155 square metres of land that the government has already acquired? Probably it is yet another story of Goa being processed, canned and sold!

The common man will still have a lot of unanswered questions regarding such a decision taken by its government. First of all, the government has not clearly defined the concept of the proposed food park. What are some of the industrial units that would be classified within the food park? What job opportunities would it provide for the tribal communities and Goans at large? Further still, who would be licensed to set up such an industry in Goa? And what foods would be processed over there? Does Goa really have a food surplus that could afford us to set up such food parks in the state? Is there a skilled Goan workforce in place that would fit in such an industry? Or are we thinking of increasing the population of Goa without any improvement in the infrastructural facilities? Are we heading towards another "Zuarinagar"? Ultimately, is this a government for our benefit?

The government has been shying away to categorise the proposed food park as a Special Economic Zone, when in all reality it is! Is the government trying to undermine the Supreme Court's ban on such land being acquired for a SEZ. Besides, acquiring land and developing it into an industrial belt would adversely affect the demography of the place. In the present scenario, the government administration has clearly revealed its incompetence in addressing issues that concern Goans living in Goa. I wonder whether the government will further alienate us Goans in our own motherland!

Much of our land has already been sold to land sharks in Delhi and beyond. It will not be too late before the peace and serenity that our villages afford us be replaced with the hollows of concrete jungles. It's time that we Goans wake up before our politicians cordon off our open spaces. It's time we make a determined effort to save Goa from our politicians whose governance is ruled by money power that is devoid of all values, principles and ethics. Yes, it is time we wake up before we Goans become a marginalised group within our own state… before Goa gets processed, canned and sold!

SVM stops SEZ scam at Verna

On Monday, 10 December 2007, a team of SEZ Virodhi Manch (SVM) went to check on reports by locals that work was in progress on Sunday night, in clear contravention of the Chief minister's directive for stopping work in the Verna SEZs.

We were shocked to see the hill being cut.
We demanded that the work be immediately stopped and that all machinery and workers be moved out of the fraudulent SEZ (it is YET to be notified, BUT the work is in full swing).
The PRINT and ELECTRONIC MEDIA and over 200 activists of the SVM from Verna, Loutolim, Keri, Sancaole, Betul and elsewhere gathered at the site and were witness to the following facts:

* Raheja's liaison man, Rahul Sardesai confirmed that they had ONLY VERBAL PERMISSIONS from GIDC to carry out developmental work.

* Four bore wells have been illegally sunk and water from one was criminally overflowing on to ground when we reached there

*Over 500 m2 of construction (two slabs) has been already done AGAIN WITHOUT ANY WRITTEN PERMISSION from any agency.

*Over 400 workers were staying in most appalling conditions and they too were complaining of not being paid.

*The hill has been indiscriminately cut for the real estate plans of the Raheja's

The entire protest was peaceful and despite PI Raposo provocations.
The Government needs to note that uptill NOW the work has been stopped by the KERI & VERNA SEZ s by the people through peaceful solidarity.
But the indignation is increasing.

In the evening, GAKUVED (Federation of Gawda Kunbi Velip Dhangar) held a public meeting at Quepem to commemorate Human Rights day.
Sons-and-daughters-of-the-soil gathered from principally Rivona and Quepem and were joined by activists from all over Goa to express their outrage at the trampling of human rights by those out to buy and abuse Goa.
Speaker after speaker vented the anger at the excesses of illegal mining facilitated by Government agencies that are refusing to impose the laws of the land.

Goans are being pushed to the wall by the abusive economic interests who are causing irreparable damage to the environment and the ethos of Goa.
And the Government is crawling when asked to bend by the vested interests.
It needs a wake-up call to be told that
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

on 14 December 2007, friday, 4 pm, at Lohia Maidan , Margao

at the PUBLIC MEETING of Sez Virodhi Manch

SEZs = land grab

SEZs : AUTHORIZED LAND GRAB?
Urban Development Consultant, Prakash M Apte expose on the SEZ scam

A national Act was introduced in April 2000 for setting up of Special Economic Zones in the country to provide an internationally competitive and hassle free environment for exports. Units could be set up in SEZ for manufacture of goods and rendering of services. The units in the Zone have to be net foreign exchange earner but not subjected to any minimum export performance requirements! Special Economic Zones are deemed to be foreign territory for the purposes of trade operations, duties and tariffs. As of 2007, more than 500 SEZs have been proposed, 220 of which have been created. This has raised the concern of the World Bank, which questions the sustainability of such a large number of SEZs.

The Act violates the right to life and livelihood of people, who are being forcibly displaced for implementation of projects, The principle of “eminent domain,'' which is the basis of the Land Acquisition Act (1894), is being misused and even given priority over the principles in the 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Constitution that give primacy to gram sabhas as autonomous decision-making entities. The status of `deemed foreign territory’ being granted to the SEZs further undermines the sovereignty of local governance systems. However, what is really horrific is the concentration of power in the hands of the Development Commissioner at the State level who are the Bureaucrats subservient to their political masters who in turn are controlled by the big industrialists.

The logic claimed for creating a special economic zone is to offer infrastructure and other facilities that cannot be provided quite so easily across the country as a whole. This would mean assured electricity, good transport links and more flexible labour laws. The crucial element that justifies making special provisions for infrastructure and relaxing labour laws is the additionality factor. In other words, the investment that comes into a special zone should be over and above what would have taken place in the normal course. The danger is that, if the primary attraction of an SEZ is the tax benefits that are offered, The SEZ can become a tax-dodge, India already has tax loopholes of many kinds, and does not need to add another one. The cost of providing tax exemptions (according to the statement of the country’s Finance Minister) is substantial, Rs 158,000 crore.!

The zones themselves are often too small--as little as 100 hectares. (except where large tracts of land close to metropolitan areas like Mumbai or Navi Mumbai are being acquired as these are highly lucrative real estate development propositions) For some special kinds of industries (software, bio-tech, gems and jewellery) the minimum size has been reduced to 10 hectares--which is little more than the size of an industrial plot. Providing quality infrastructure in such a small area can have no real meaning. No transport advantages would exist and the electricity generated within the SEZ will be by a medium-sized diesel-generating unit. Instead, why not declare every large factory in the country as a special economic zone? Possible, but that would rob the PBT combine of generating huge kickbacks when private industrialists forcibly acquire huge tracts of land and pay compensation to small farmers who for generations have known no other occupation than farming and agriculture!

The SEZ ideas that worked in Communist China don’t quite translate so well in Democratic India. China first set up some SEZs in the late 1970s in southeastern China, with an eye on luring dollars back to the motherland from compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The SEZs were vital to the development of China’s export machine. But what has been the cost to China? Will similar cost not be applicable to India also?

China has to feed 22 percent of the world's population on only 7 percent of land. In July 2005, China's countryside had over 26.1 million people living in absolute poverty and was home to 18 percent of the world's poor, according to Chinese Minister Li Xuju quoted in the People’s Daily. Every year, an additional 10 million people have to be fed. Despite this daunting target, between 1996-2005, "development" caused diversion of more than 21 percent of arable land to non-agricultural uses, chiefly highways, industries and SEZs. Per capita land holding now stands at a meager 0.094 hectares. In just thirteen years, between 1992 and 2005, twenty million farmers were laid off agriculture due to land acquisition.

SEZs like Shenzen in Guangdong showcasing the economic miracle of China, are beset with problems. After growing at a rate of around 28 percent for the last 25 years, Shenzen is now paying a huge cost in terms of environment destruction, soaring crime rate and exploitation of its working class, mainly migrants. In 2006, the United Nations Environment Programme designated Shenzen as a 'global environmental hotspot', meaning a region that had suffered rapid environmental destruction. Shenzen sky is thick with choking smoke, while the crime rate is almost nine-fold higher than Shanghai.

While export-driven policy for economic growth has helped China touch record growth figures, the income gap is widening and rapidly approaching the levels of some Latin American countries. Going by a recent report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China's Gini coefficient – a measure of income distribution where zero means perfect equality and 1 is maximum inequality – touched 0.496 in the year 2006. In comparison, income inequality figures are 0.33 in India, 0.41 in the US and 0.54 in Brazil. Further, the rural-urban income divide is staggering – annual income of city dwellers in China is around US $1,000 which is more than three times that of their rural counterparts.

There is no doubt that exports play a significant role in boosting GDP. However in the case of India, with a sizeable domestic market, the choice lies with the producer to either export or supply to the domestic market. Household consumption in India at 68 percent of the GDP is much higher than that of China at 38 percent, Europe at 58 percent and Japan at 55 percent. This is an important source of strength for the domestic manufacturing industry of India.

In India with 65 percent of the population depending on agriculture as a means of livelihood, industry ought to be complementary to agriculture. Through SEZs however, industry is being promoted at the cost of agriculture. Valuable resources spent to create SEZs will be at the cost of building better infrastructure for the rest of the country. Creating so many SEZs would seem to exacerbate widening inequality in India – both in terms of individual income and national infrastructure.

The SEZs are being granted approvals, with no single mention of studies being carried out on social environment impact and damage. India is already going through a crisis in terms of water scarcity as well as loss of forests and biodiversity. The costs of loss of forest and other common lands, large scale exploitation of water resources, coastal land, and environmental pollution are not even being computed.'' The very legislative framework of SEZs makes it a draconian Act that promotes large scale privatization and monopoly of resources in the hands of a few private developers at huge costs to the State exchequer as well as the economy and environment. This is nothing but Authorized Land Grab to benefit private developers and get huge kickbacks for the PBT combine!

The impact of this liberalization on urban development will be,
a luxurious habitat for the rich resulting in:

Destruction of environment and ecological balance,
Paucity of land for agriculture, horticulture and vegetable farming, making these commodities scarce for city dwellers,
Displacement of large Adivasi population which may migrate to cities adding to slums,
Deforestation resulting in climate changes,
Increased vehicular traffic to existing cities from these townships for work, recreation, higher education and medical facilities,
Serious imbalances in the urban economy leading to crime and lawlessness.

Not for a moment should one imagine that this impact is not comprehended by those in power! On the contrary that is what is the purpose of this liberalization, to create more problems or accentuate existing ones making life miserable in the urban areas so that the politicians can initiate, Bureaucrats can programme and Technocrats can prepare blue prints to undertake new projects like flyovers, metro rails, sea links, multistoried housing, that will generate an eternal source of kickbacks for the PBT combine!

(excerpts from a Paper submitted by the Author for the West Zone Conference of the Institute Of Town Planners India, at Navi Mumbai, India November 2007)

Keri gives a big kick to the fradulent SEZ

The dynamic ladies

and the sincere gents of Keri
led by the

Keri Nagrik Samiti

and SEZ Virodhi Manch
flushed out the workers

who were clandestinely constructing
the fradulent SEZ promoted

by the Meditab Specialities Pvt Ltd
at Bhutkhamb, Keri on a plot of 304 acres.

The SEZ makes dubious claims to employ 1 lakh people and is just another huge land grab.

The Heavy machinery too was brought to the gate
and will be shown the exit road.

The battle has begun.

Attend the
PUBLIC MEETING
on 14 December 2007,

4 pm onwards,
at Lohia Maidan, Margao

---- SEZ Virodhi Manch

a collective of peoples's groups against SEZs

from the villages of Keri, Verna, Loutolim, Sancoale, Betul

supported by GBA, CSJP, Jagrut Goem, Sezwatch

and the people of Goa.

role of GIDC

HOW GIDC FUNCTIONS AS AN AGENT FOR DEVELOPERS SEEKING TO GRAB GOAN LAND & MLAS FURTHERING THEIR POLITICAL INTERESTS


1. Even though allotment of land is for SEZ, none of the Provisions of the SEZ Act 2005, more particularly Sections 3, 4 and 5 have been followed, and therefore, the whole allotment gets vitiated on this ground.

2. At least three of the four companies in the Verna Industrial Estate are new companies not having any experience at all and K. Rahejas is purely a real estate developer. Therefore, it appears that these companies have been specifically been floated for the purpose of grabbing this land under the guise of SEZ.

3. The Applications which do not bear any inward stamp and number nor the seal of the respective Companies are all dated 12th April, 2006, and the land allotment has been approved within six days thereof i.e. at the Meeting of the Board held on 19/04/2006 thereby giving a complete go-by to the Provisions of the Goa, Daman and Diu Industrial Development Act, 1965, as well as under the Regulations framed thereunder for determining the time and place for the Meetings of the Corporation and the procedure to be followed in regard to transaction of business at such meetings. Under Regulation 2, it is a mandatory requirement that the Secretary shall give seven days clear notice of the ensuing Meeting to the Members of the Corporation. Under Regulation 3, the Secretary is required to furnish each Member with the Agenda and the item notes regarding the business included in the Agenda. The Notice is required to be despatched to the Members by ordinary post under Certificate of Posting and a Notice is required to be despatched along with its Annexures. In the instant case, even assuming that the Application is inwarded on 12th April, 2006, the same could not have been discussed in the Meeting held on 19/04/2006 as the seven days clear notice as required under the Regulations could not have been followed; therefore on the face of this, the allotment in favour of the Accused Nos. 5 to 9 Companies appears to be illegal and in violation of Law and the same is required to be thoroughly investigated in order to bring out the truth. The allotment on the fact of it is done in order to favour the Accused Nos. 5 to 9 Companies, thus playing a big fraud on the people of Goa as well as the State Exchequer and the people who are guilty of this should be severely punished not only under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, but also under the Indian Penal Code.

4. As stated in the aforesaid paragraphs, all the Accused Companies would require a large quantity of water supply per day; a large amount of electricity supply; a huge amount of manpower as well as the said Companies would carry on substantial amount of construction activities. The approval for allotment of land to these Companies has been given without the preparation of any Feasibility Report or for that matter, without even taking into consideration the ground realities prevailing as regards the water supply, electricity supply or what impact the said construction activity would have on the environment.

5. The Board has resolved to waive off the Transfer Fee, Sub-lease Fee etc., to these Companies, without even a request for the same from the applicants and without the matter being on the Agenda, thereby draining out the public Exchequer,

6. The allotment of the said Plots has been done on the whims and fancies of the Board Members. The Goa IDC is a Statutory Body and while disposing off any property belonging to the Goa IDC, the Goa IDC has to advertise the same in the daily newspapers and the property is required to be sold by auction or tender so that no loss is caused to the Revenue of the State. The disposal by such means and in such haphazard manner would adversely affect the Revenue of the State. Even otherwise, property acquired for industrial purpose cannot be allotted in a fraudulent manner as has been done in this case.

7. The said land was not acquired for the Special Economic Zone nor has the same been declared as Special Economic Zone area and no Resolution has been passed by the Board to change the purpose of acquisition; while the land was originally acquired solely for industrial purposes it has now been allotted for SEZ which will have a land use incorporating industrial, commercial as well as residential. Now therefore allotment of the said land for SEZ purpose is completely illegal and in violation of the Goa, Daman & Diu Industrial Act, 1965, and the same has been done in order to favour Accused Nos. 5 to 9.

8. The said allotments of land totally admeasuring 18.7 lakh square metres (excluding land allotted in the form of internal roads and open spaces) have been passed in the Meeting which was attended by only four Members without following the due procedure of Law. The said allotment of land had not previously been approved by the Government before being discussed at the Board Meeting held on 19/04/2006.

9. In the Meeting of the Board held on 07/02/2006; the Board took a decision to revise the rates and to hike the same as there is constraint of land and the rates in the vicinity of the Estates are also competitive. The rates in all the Industrial Estates were enhanced including Verna Phase – I, II and III, Verna Phase IA. The rates in the other Industrial Estates also where there is no space or little space available have been enhanced considerably. But in Phase IV of the Verna Industrial Estate which is a new acquisition and where the rates of acquisition were also high, the rates have not been enhanced by the Board. This has been done purposely in order to avail or to allot the land to the Accused Companies at a lesser rate and thereby cause loss to the Public Exchequer and Public Revenue as well as the Government Revenue.

10. The area allotted to said M/s Inox Mercantile Company Pvt. Ltd., is 5,52,089 square meters which is far in excess of that which was applied for by them i.e., 4,84,832 square metres. In fact in the application made by this Company, the earlier area requested for was 5,52,089 square meters, which was thereafter cancelled and decreased to 4,84,832 square meters. It is really worthwhile to note here how the Board officials came to know about the initial figure of 5,52,089 square meters and accordingly allotted the same to the M/s Inox Mercantile Company Pvt. Ltd. While the Board resolution still stands at 5,52,089 square metres, the Deed of Lease bears the allotted figure as 4,84,832 square metres.

11. One of the Accused Companies i.e., M/s Planet View Mercantile Co. Pvt. Ltd., was neither incorporated on the day of the application nor on the day of the approval by the Board on 19/04/2006. The said Company was in fact, incorporated only on 26/04/2007.

12. One of the Accused Companies i.e. M/s Paradigm Logistics & Distribution Pvt. Ltd; had in fact, paid an amount of Rs.3,17,30,228/- vide Receipt No. PNJ-51 dated 17/04/2006. It is therefore obvious that the said amount was paid on 17/04/2006 i.e. even prior to the approval of the Board Meeting dated 19/04/2006. This therefore, requires a thorough investigation as to how the payment was made and received for allotment of plot even prior to Board taking the decision of allotment. This smacks of a complete fraud being played on Public Revenue and people of Goa by Government Officials in connivance with these Companies.

13. By a letter dated April 12/13, 2006, bearing No.GOA-IDC/BM-287/8325 was circulated to the Members including the Minister for Industries stating that the Meeting would be held on 19/04/2006, it was stated that the Agenda would be circulated shortly. It was sent on 17/04/2006 which was a crucial date as the money was paid on 17/04/2006 in respect to M/s. Paradigm Logistics & Distribution Pvt. Ltd. and thereafter on 18/04/2006 by a letter bearing No.GOA IDC/B.M.-287/8384 the Agenda for the 287th Meeting of the IDC was circulated. In fact, the Agenda was circulated on 19-04-2006 as the acknowledgements reveal. It is pertinent to note that the Director of Industries acknowledge receipt of the Agenda at 5.20 p.m. on 19-04-2006 and the Chief Electrical Engineer, who is also part of the Board, received the intimation of the Agenda at 5.15 p.m. on the 19-04-2006, when in fact the Meeting was convened at 4.00 p.m. on that day itself.

14. Under Regulation 6 (a) regarding the Regulations for determining the time and place for the Meetings of the Corporation, the procedure which has to be followed in regard to transaction of business at such meetings framed in pursuance to Section 51(i)(a) of Goa Daman & Diu Industrial Development Act, 1965, is that in order to form a quorum, at least one of the Members nominated under section 4(1)(d) of Goa Daman & Diu Industrial Development Act, 1965, is required to be present. In the instant case, the said person not being present at the Meeting held on 19/04/2006, there was no quorum in the eyes of law and therefore all decisions taken in the said Meeting are null and void.

15. In the 295th Board Meeting of the IDC held on 09/03/2007, as regards the adoption of bye-laws for IT and Biotech Building with an FAR of 150, the Board has resolved to adopt the bye-laws for IT and Biotech Parks as per the approval conveyed by the Town & Country Planning Department vide their Letter No. 27/13/ TCP /07/Pt.file(872) dated 01/03/2007. As per the said approval, the FAR would be 150. The said bye-laws do not apply to SEZs but apply only to IT and Biotech buildings. The Board by applying these bye-laws to Industrial Areas has violated the law and completely misapplied the Provisions of IT and Biotech bye-laws. This has been done at the instance and behest of the Accused Companies so that they get more FAR for the purpose of construction.

16. As regards Accused Nos. 7and 8, the item-wise Cost Projections in the Application do not tally with the total cost of the Project. This indicates that the Applications have been made in the most haphazard manner and the land has been allotted to these Companies without there being any application of mind or thorough scrutiny of the applications.

17. In the 287th Meeting of the Board, there is no reference at all of allotting any open space or space for a road to the Accused Companies and the same has been done without any Authority of Law or for that matter, without there being any Board Resolution; therefore, the allotment is void ab initio. In fact, the said land allotted for open spaces and road was given at the rate of Rs.100/- per square metre in the 295th Board Meeting dated 09-03-2007 which is much below the approved rate. In fact, SEZ area is a contiguous area as per the requirements of SEZ and therefore, all infrastructural areas like roads, open spaces etc., become a part and parcel of the SEZ; therefore, the question of the same being allotted separately at a lower rate does not arise at all.

Thus from the above, it is abundantly clear that the allotment of land done in favour of Accused Nos. 5 to 9 Companies is completely illegal and in violation of the SEZ Act, 2005; the Goa, Daman & Diu Industrial Development Act, 1965, as well as under the Rules and Regulations framed under the said Act. By allotting these plots, the Board members of the Goa IDC have shown favouritism and have allotted the land for some extraneous considerations and in a completely illegal manner. This whole land allotment appears to be a big scam and all these five Companies appear to have the aim of grabbing large tracts of Goan land by using the Government machinery in connivance and collaboration with the Goa IDC who have willingly obliged these Companies for obvious reasons, thereby causing loss of revenue to the State and playing a big fraud on the people of Goa.

In the instant case, there was obviously a conspiracy hatched by all the Accused to drain out the Public Exchequer and there was a prior meeting of minds of the accused persons.

PENINSULA RESEARCH CENTRE PVT. LTD. SANCOALE
1. Company is not even registered at time of application, but “under formation”
2. Company applies for 2,00,000 sq. M. But GIDC grants it 2,03,650 sq. M at the 286th Board Meeting held on March 28th, 2006.
3. No inward stamp on application
5. No company seal or name of person who has signed the application

MEDITAB SPECIALITIES PVT. LTD - KERI
1. Request through simple letter made to GIDC for allocation of land at Keri on 27th March, 2006 by Meditab Specialities Pvt. Ltd.
2. Proforma GIDC application form not submitted. Therefore, no details about projects to be manufactured, daily water and power requirements, etc. in the application which is submitted on April 3, 2006.
3. The land (12,32,00 sq. m.) is allotted to Meditab Specialities at the 286th Board Meeting held on March 28, 2006, even before receiving the application. This is without the mandatory 7 days notice to the Board of Directors and without time to study teh Project and its impact on the area.
4. Employment shown is 1,00,000

RAHEJAS, VERNA
1. Application dated 12th April. 2006 Allotment made on 19th April without proper time to study the project and without required 7 days notice to the Board of Directors for the meeting.
2. Company requires 40 lakh litres of water per day, 60 MVA of power and manpower of 50,000.
3. Land allotted is 7,91,732 allotted at 600/- per sq. Metre and additional land of 2,74,651 sq. Metres in the form of open spaces and internal roads have been allotted intially free of cost and subsequently at the 295th Board Meeting on March 9th, 2007 @Rs.100 per sq.m..
4. No inward stamp on application and no company seal on application.

PARADIGM LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION PVT. LTD. - VERNA
1. No inward stamp on application.
2. Land allotted is 2,64,4192 at 600/- per sq. metres and additional land of 1,25,703 sq. Metres in the form of open spaces and internal roads have been allotted intially free of cost and subsequently @Rs.100 per sq. m. at the 295th meeting, the reason being given that it would cost GIDC Rs.250/- per sq. m. for development. Yet development of roads for the plots allotted to Paradigm Logistics & Distribution Pvt. Ltd. has been tendered by GIDC vide advertisement in the Navhind times dated 28th September, 2007.
3. Requirements of water per day 10,00,000 litres, 20 MVA of electricity and employement 10,000 persons.
4. Land occuped after construction would be 2,50,000 sq. metres (because o FAR of 150%).

INOX MERCANTILE COMPANY PRIVATE LIMITED- VERNA
1. No inward stamp on application
2. Land allotted is actually 4,84,832 sq. m., but by a resolution taken at the 287th Board meeting 5,52,089 sq. metres allotted at 600/- per sq. metre and additional land of 35,000 sq. metres in the form of open spaces and internal roads have been allotted intially free of cost and subsequently at the 295th Board Meeting on March 9th, 2007 @ Rs.100 per sq.m..
3. Water requirements per day are 50-,000 litres of water and power is 30 MVA per day. Employment generated will be 20,000.

PLANETVIEW MERCANTILE COMPANY PVT. LTD. - VERNA
1. No inward stamp on application
2. No name of signatory on application or company seal.
3. Page 5 of application says Gems and Jewellery SEZ but page 7 describes it as a Biotech park.
4. Company not registered as on the date of application
5. Company requires 30,000 litres of water per day and 25 MVA of electricity per day and would employ 5000 people.
6. Land allotted is actually 1,32,000 sq. Ms, at Rs.600/- per sq. m. Additional land of 1,03,331 sq. Metres in the form of open spaces and internal roads have been allotted intially free of cost and subsequently at the 295th Board Meeting on March 9th, 2007 @Rs.100 per sq.m. Since developing the same would cost GODC 250/- per sq. m.. Yet development of roads in the same area has been tendered by GIDC vide advertisement in the Herald dated November 20, 2007.

MAXGROWS FINLEASE PVT. LTD. - VERNA
1. Land requested as per application is 2,00,000 sq. m. And land allotted is 2,3445 sq. Ms at 600/- per sq. Metre
2. Application does not bear name of the signatory or the Company seal.
3. Application made by JMD Promoters on May 2, 2006. Subsequently, on May 25, 2006, even before allotment of land, JMD Promoters made a simple letter requesting the MD of GIDC to allot the plot applied for in the name of JMD Promoters to Ms. Maxgrove Finlease Pv.t. Ltd., withou any application being submitted by Maxgrvoe Finlease Pvt. Ltd. to the GIDC.
3. Requirements of water per day 50,00,000 litres, 1000 KVA of electricity and employement 5,,000 persons.

ATUL RUIA ENTERPRISES PVT. LTD ; PERNEM
1. Simple letter made by Atul Ruia to GIDC dated April 17th, 2006 asking it to acquire land admeasuring 40,00,000 sq. Ms. Since the subject land has title problems and according to their lawyers, private party could request GIDC to acquire such land and transfer the land to a private limited comapny for setting up of SEZ.
2. Resolution taken to acquire the same by GIDC at 287th Board meeting dated April 19th, 2007, invoking the urgency clause and citing public purpose.

20 POINT PROGRAM at PHASE IV VERNA INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, LOUTOLIM
1.. A letter made by MLA to GIDC dated April 17th, 2006, requesting for 50,000 sq. Metres of land acquired for industrial purpose for a housing site for workers from the village. The said application is endorsed by the Chief Minister to be put before the Board on 18th April 2006.
2. The land is granted by GIDC for the said purpose on April 19th, 2006. The MLA being one of the Board of Directors. In approving the same even though he had personal political interest.

One arm of the Government, namely the police, has filed cases against Chawla for fleecing Goan investors heavily in the Rockland Leasing Scam. ANother arm of the same government, namelyl GIDC, gives him entry into Goa once again by alloting 52 acres of land to his company Goa Agri Commerz Ltd.for an SEZ in Ambelim, Guleliwhen the application form gives the same address as Rockland Leasing.

SEZ nos don't add up

How the SEZ numbers don't add up
For labour and for industry in Goa, SEZs will hinder, not help

Why would you want to swap the engine in your car for one that costs more, uses more petrol per kilometre, is more expensive to maintain, and takes up more space in your car? Such a swap wouldn't make sense to the careful motorist, and it shouldn't make sense to the CEO of a state either. That swap is just what the state of Goa is setting out to do by promoting special economic zones (SEZs) at the cost of existing manufacturing units.

The government of Goa - both currently headed by Digambar Kamat and previously by Pratapsingh Rane - has not shared at all with the people of Goa why it believes that SEZs are necessary and required for our state. It is not alone in this behaviour, for other states have not done so either, which is why so many campaigns against such zones have erupted all over the country.

What engine do we have? It is the engine of manufacturing, which accounts for 27 per cent of the Goan domestic product. (In economic weight, the 'transport, storage and communications' category comes next with 12.9 per cent, and 'trade, hotels and restaurants' is third with close to 11.8 per cent.) Manufacturing does not include mining (4.2 per cent) and agriculture (5.6 per cent) and is the sector which soaks up the most available employment.

This is worth looking at carefully, because it was about a year ago that the Info Tech Corporation of Goa (through the information and technology minister, Dayanand Narvekar) spoke incessantly about the employment that was waiting to be generated if only the IT park at Socorro would be set up without objection and without interference. Right now, both the IT zones being pushed by the Info Tech Corporation of Goa are still at the "forwarded to Government of India for approval" stage. However, six other proposals are also in the same stage, making a total of eight pending, while seven have been approved by the SEZ Board of Approval (19 members drawn from various ministries). Three more proposals have yet to be forwarded. And that makes a total of 18 SEZs that the government of Goa has considered since the SEZ Act of 2005 came into operation.

Remember that we already have in Goa 20 industrial estates. For these, the government's own literature (Economic Survey 2005-06) explains: "Infrastructure facilities such as water supply system, asphalted roads, street light (sic), drainage, besides common facilities like canteen, ESI, housing tenements, post offices, telephone exchange, public pay phone, banking facilities, warehousing facilities have been created." In short, remarkably like the operating environment of an SEZ. The 2,458 plots developed in these industrial estates house a variety of activity including pharmaceuticals, info-tech and electronics and food processing - sectors the 'new, improved' SEZ engine claims to be encouraging.

Rewind to 1965, when the only operating zone in India was the Kandla SEZ (the Santa Cruz Electronics Export Processing Zone - SEEPZ - in Mumbai came next in 1975). At the start it employed just 70 workers! By 1998 there were eight SEZs in India (including those at Noida and Chennai). As a result, the level of employment also increased to around 95,000 by 1999. After the 2005 Act there has certainly been rapid expansion in employment in the SEZ sector with all-India employment being over 178,000 in November 2006. However - and this is important - their share of total all-India manufacturing employment is no more than 1.1 per cent.

For those that do find employment in SEZs, are they better off monetarily? A recent study on Indian SEZs by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations found tha this is not so. "Average wages in the zones are not very different from the factory sector average in the respective state (except Maharashtra)," says the report. "This is despite the fact that the factory sector covers large enterprises also [which generally pay better than small scale units]." Do SEZs spur industrial activity in the districts and regions around them? Business case studies indicate that this is not so, as in the export processing zones set up before the 2005 Act, units procured an average of only 8 percent of their inputs locally. This means that the SSIs and manufacturing units in Goa that exist today will not benefit from the SEZs being planned - whether any industrial linkages have at all been studied by the state government is unknown.

What we do know is that the 7,095 small scale units in Goa employ close to 50,000 people and that the 209 medium and large industrial units employ another 25,600 (Economic Survey 2006-07). Aside from the merits and demerits of the industrialisation of Goa, these units, industrial estates and factories have emerged over a period of 25 years. They have evolved from the needs and demands of entrepreneurs and local and regional investors who have made use of the state and its geographic advantage and human resources. Those working in these small and large units have made critical decisions about their families and homes based on their employment, and social service ecosystems have also evolved as a result.

Into an environment that is crowded for space, short on infrastructure and struggling to meet health and education needs, the approved and pending SEZs could impose another 642,000 persons - if the claims of the SEZ developers are to be believed. For tacitly accepting this number alone the government of Goa should be interrogated. It is a ludicrous number for our state. Why so? For it is more than the total number of all people employed in Goa! The 2001 Census told us that 274,000 people were employed in rural Goa and 248,000 in urban which together is 522,000 workers. Even accounting for legitimate growth in employment since 2001, this figure would not match the numbers claimed by the SEZs. This alone reveals the recklessness of this administration in even considering the SEZ engine as one that is good for Goa.

- Rahul Goswami (Gomantak times, 8 Oct 2007)

GOA: sold for a song

an article by Br. Orville de Silva

The demographic, social, cultural and environmental patterns in Goahave undergone rapid changes in recent times. Such changes call for acollective concern and participation by the people the Goa and itsruling government. However, amidst such changes, Goa's politicians have found enough time and opportunity in promoting Special EconomicZones (SEZ) in Goa.

Our politicians argue that SEZs will create employment opportunities for Goan youth and will also attract Foreign Direct Investment. Quite contrary to the thinking of the present government, the Goa SEZ Policy2006 makes no commitment or reservation in terms of jobs to Goans. The determination of the present government to promote SEZs in Goa hasraised several eyebrows among different sections of people. While the government seems hell bent in promoting SEZs in Goa, it fails to showthe same political will in providing adequate basic facilities and efficient administrative services to Goans. Issues of garbage, waterscarcity, environmental degradation, corruption and improper appropriation of land with inadequate compensation continue to ruin the state of Goa.

The GIDC managing director, Mr A V Palekar, stated that the plots in Phase IV were sold at Rs. 600 per sq. mt. The same land was acquiredby the GIDC in 2003 for Rs. 10 per sq. mt. from the Communidade which was later enhanced to Rs. 20 per sq. mt. when the Communidade appealed the court. How can the government of Goa justify the paltry amount paid to the people and the Communidade while the same land was sold out to industries at an exorbitant price? The Chairman of GIDC boasts of making profit. But amassing wealth at the cost of the people and dispossessing them of their land doesn't justify the revenue earned bythe state treasury. In most cases the land for SEZ has been acquired by the government by invoking the Urgency Clause as per the Land Acquisition Act 1894. One may wonder what urgency the government faces in acquiring the land forSEZ. Isn't this a ploy of the government to disposes the people oftheir land? Does the government wish to take advantage over the poor who do not have recourse to the legal system due to financial constraints? Instead the government could try invoking the 'Urgency Clause' in discussing issues of garbage, corruption and the changing Goan identity in the Legislative Assembly and draw a concrete plan and implement it immediately. Some months back, the Prime Minister, MrManmohan Singh, had categorically stated that the government would not acquire the land for the SEZs. It was stated that interested parties would have to directly negotiate with the people and offer them adequate compensation for the acquired land. However the Goagovernment doesn't seem interested in such directives. Instead of addressing the needs of the people, the Goa government is gradually turning itself into a landlord by selling Goa's land to vested interests.

A similar situation is also reflected in Quepem. While the MLA of Quepem is trying to promote a SEZ in his constituency at Quitol, people in Betul living in the hills face severe water and power problems. The families living in this area have remarked that in the evenings after 7 PM the bulbs in their houses burn like candle lights and their children find it difficult to study in this dim light. Mind you, the land that has been acquired by the government for theauxiliary services for the proposed Food Park is barely 3 kilometresaway from Betul. How would the government meet the power needs of the industries when the present situation is already grim? Conversely,would the government be interested in supplying power to the proposed food park and let the people in Betul suffer in dim light?

In order to mellow the people and disperse their fears against SEZ, the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, observed that the industries in the SEZ zone would have to generate their own electricity. The statement of the CM contradicts the Goa SEZ Policy 2006 which states that "The SEZ authority will ensure continuous and quality power supply to SEZs..." Are we to be carried away by the statements of the CM and other Ministers who normally follow rules prescribed in their ownbooks when implementing the policies? If the CM is serious of what he is saying let the Goa SEZ Policy be amended immediately and made known to the people.

It is beyond doubt that the SEZ Policy of the state, which is meant to accelerate exports, calls for a public debate. We also need a comprehensive study on the job opportunities that all the industrial estates in Goa have created for Goan youth. Let not Goa be ruined because of the self-interests of our politicians who display verylittle commitment to the people of Goa. We need to preserve Goa andseek a pattern of sustainable development for its growth. The local people have the ability to think and decide for themselves theparadigm of its future development. The government should seriouslyconsider giving the people a chance to decide their future instead ofblindly selling off Goa for a song.

round table on SEZ (Dec2006

ROUND TABLE on SEZ ( 6 Dec 2006)

Concerned citizens and citizens’ organizations representing various sections of society today unanimously expressed their concerns about the implications of having foreign enclaves within local territory in the guise of special economic zones. The meeting saw the convergence of concerns of various organizations including the Tribes of Goa, Bailancho Saad, Alternatives, Peaceful Society, PMCA (People’s Movement for Civil Action), Goa People’s Forum, AITUC (All India Trade Union Congress), CITU, NTUI (New Trade Union Initiative), Goa Can, Goa Heritage Action Group, Mundkar-Tenants’ Association, Association of Componentes of Communidades, Save Goa University Forum, Positive People, Council for Social Justice and Peace, Goa Foundation, Prerana Foundation, Citizens’ Initiatives for Communal Harmony, Marg, Rashtriya Seva Dal and affected or concerned citizens from different parts of Goa. MLA Matanhy Saldanha also participated

Adv. Albertina Almeida, the Convenor of the Round Table on SEZs pointed out that the purpose of convening the round table was to develop an informed strategy on SEZs after giving an ear to the various concerns expressed. Adv. Norma Alvares remarked that the SEZs having been conceptualized to attract foreign direct investments, the single window clearance was nothing but an eye-wash to facilitate the investors to get around even the minimal labour laws and environmental laws that would continue to be applicable.She cautioned against the large revenue give-away and the oasis of development that SEZs would create in the deserts of poverty.

Dr. Buqui Desai representing the Save Goa University Forum and Mr. Soter D’Souza gave a detailed account of the land grab for IT Parks, which are another form of Special Economic Zones, in their respective areas of Taleigao and Socorro and the disregard for the natural resources, wild life and for the education system. They raised pertinent issues of how SEZs like IT parks change the entire face of land use pattern and how draconian land acquisition laws are ruthlessly used to trample on people’s rights. Edwin Correia, an affected NRI from Cortalim gave testimony of how he and other citizens of Cortalim were being dispossessed of their lands. Mr. Antonio Francisco Fernandes of Tribes of Goa, expressed his poignant concerns that the tribal people were always taken for granted by successive Governments with tall promises which were almost always never honoured and the same thing was now repeating itself in a larger way with SEZs taking shape. Mr. Nelson Fernandes, ex-Sarpanch of Cansaulim wondered what would happen to the already diminishing basic utilities services like water and electricity supply when SEZ’s come in.

Cyril Fernandes of New Trade Union Initiative expressed concerns about the violations of labour rights with no trade unions, and no social security registration in SEZs and the move from insecurity to bonded labour, with women workers bearing the double brunt. Thalmann Pereira of CITU and John Clarke from AITUC also expressed their concerns against SEZs. Mr. Narayan Naik of Mundkar-Tenants’ Association also shared concerns about the loss of people’s livelihoods while carrots were being dangled at them and stressed the need for demystifying what special economic zones stand for before the people are engulfed by them. Adv. Ganesh Kubal of the Farmers’ AgroIndustrial Society of Goa wondered how why farmers were not getting support to sustain their farming while SEZs were going to get priority infrastructure support.

Mr. Ranjan Solomon of Alternatives sought to highlight the revenue losses and the threat to the very fabric of democracy through the establishment of special economic zones. Mr. Rahul Goswami, a policy analyst, expressed that with the coming of SEZs, business was being discouraged from assuming their social responsibility and expressed concerns about the implications of SEZs for local people’s right to trade. Mr. Goswami remarked that a spate of policies like SEZ Policy, Industrial Policy, Biotech policy, Infotech Policy cannot be a substitute for visionary economic planning.

Mr. Roland Martins of GoaCan warned about the systematic sabotage that was happening of the local self-government institutions like Panchayats and Municipalities stating that the SEZs were riding on this sabotage. Adv. Andre Pereira of the Association of Componentes of Communidades also exposed a similar erosion happening with another centuries-old system of governance of communidades and illustrated how the Government was singling out communidade lands for SEZs in flagrant disregard of the communidade code. Ms. Patricia Pinto pointed to the total absence of consultative processes in the planning processes with illustration of the processes towards the present Regional Plan. Ms. Rifat Mumtaz of NCAS shared the information documented by them of struggles against SEZs in the rest of the country. Mr. Reggie Gomes pointed out the need for action at local, national and international levels given that sezs were part of the larger phenomena of globalisation. MLA Matanhy Saldanha punctured the employment pretext on which the Government was trying to destroy Goa, stating that even the employment purpose was not being served through SEZs as against the massive dispossession that was happening.

At the end of the meeting, a People’s Goa SEZ Watch Group was formed which would co-ordinate the strategy around SEZs while also joining forces with the Save Goa Front on the links between SEZs and regional planning and with the country-wide anti-SEZ movement.


(Albertina Almeida)
Convenor
Round Table on SEZ

truth about SEZs

THE LAND USE PLAN MASKING ITSELF IN DIFFERENT FORMS
-Albertina Almeida (SEZ watch)

An important issue related to the Regional Plan that has got little attention is the Special Economic Zones. What are Special Economic Zones? Planet Mars on Planet Earth? Foreign territory within our territory? “A designated duty free enclave and to be treated as foreign territory for trade operations and duties and tariffs”, as the Government of India’s website on Special Economic Zones puts it. So there you are – by the Government’s own admission, we are inviting colonization - this time in a different form. It is colonization by transnational and national corporate capital. We worry about “outsiders” who till and toil over our territory, and do not want to give them their due. But we don’t care about outsiders and so also the insiders who grab and deprive the people in Goa and edge them out of their land and livelihood.

The Land Use Plan prepared by the State has been coming in different garbs. As a Regional Plan drawn to satisfy the interests of corporate capital and hence is not about planning with people at its centre. Under the garb of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) which are about anything and everything in enclaves where the laws of the land will not apply. So the labour laws, CRZ laws, criminal laws, tax laws, etc. do not apply in the SEZs in the way that they do to the rest of the country. It comes under the garb of an IT Park under the Goa IT Policy, which has similar ingredients as the SEZ policy OR of a biotech/food park under the Goa Biotech Policy, which again bears striking resemblance to the SEZ Policy. It is not as if we do not want IT or food, for that matter, but the question is what and how. When they are SEZ or SEZ-like, it is not about IT and food anymore.

Given that the land use plan is coming in different forms, there is a need to debate and highlight the core issues around which the struggle lies. The Government of Goa tries to say it has not sanctioned any SEZs in Goa. It is like the play of words that said the Plan is denotified and then quietly added “with prospective effect”. Yes, it is not the local Minister that sanctions the SEZs. It is the Board of Approval at the Centre, constituted under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, which does. But let us not forget that India is a federal country and there are still many subjects which Special Economic Zones span which come within the powers of the States. It is precisely because of this that each State is required to have its own SEZ policy. If the Goa Government wished, it could have had an SEZ Policy that does not provide any exemptions from any State taxes, levies and duties to the Developer or the entrepreneur. It could have had a policy where land acquired by it through the Goa Industrial Development Corporation for industrial purposes is used for that purpose and not for SEZs. It needs to be noted that as yet, no area in Goa has yet been notified as an SEZ by the Board of Approval at the Centre. And the Goa Government can put its foot down about this ‘respecting the wishes of the people’.

Any proposal for approval of SEZ developer can go through the State or directly to the Board of Approval but if it is made directly to the Board of Approval and approved, the SEZ developer requires the concurrence of the State Government. So the State does have a say. But would they, i.e. any of the politicians in Goa have the gumption to stand up against these powerful corporate money-bags from whom they derive the finances to finance their elections? From whom they derive the finances to line, oops sorry fill their pockets, oops sorry bags, oops sorry buildings, oops sorry lands?

There is nothing special about Special Economic Zones for the people in Goa. It is a case of “Fullu Fustar foznnem”. If we have protested against the Regional Plan, it is because we were questioning the processes by which the Regional Plan did not give voice to the aspirations of the people, and disregarded the spirit of the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution devolving planning powers to Panchayats and Municipalities. And here we have a proposed development in the shape of SEZs – where the panchayats, municipalities and the people will have no say because the Goa SEZ policy clearly states that the State Government will take appropriate steps to declare the SEZs as industrial townships to enable the SEZs to function as self-governing, autonomous municipal bodies. Another form of zoning altogether!!!

Again, are we not already aware that the IT Parks are nothing but real estate scams? Where contracts are awarded not to those who are skilled in IT but those who are skilled in “it”? How long will it take us to understand that the SEZs, given the designed lack of transparency, are inherently conducive for real estate scams as well? How else does one explain GIDC’s agreements with M/s K. Raheja Corporation Pvt. Ltd., M/s Paradigm Logistics & Distribution Pvt. Ltd., M/s Meditab Specialities Pvt. Ltd., M/s Peninsula Pharma Research Centre Pvt. Ltd., M/s Planet View and M/s Inox Mercantile for leasing out land for SEZ and allied activities? That it has leased out land to the first four which is much more than the land that even the Board of Approval had approved of? Who are they deceiving? We want neither the gloss over and push through approach of the Congress by which the Goa SEZ policy was pushed through nor the fascist “touch-me-not, don’t-question-me, we-are-always-right” approach of BJP and its local legislature party head nor the NCP approach which acquiesces in governance and decision-making by circulation or by receptivity to deceptive announcements at cabinet meetings!

There is now talk about letting the SEZ developers deal directly with the land owners. Sorry, if there is a thrust towards SEZs by the State, then given the clout that these developers wield and which is strengthened by the SEZ Act, where the laws of the land can legitimately be thrown to the winds, these developers are bound to bully people into giving up their lands using bouncers and goons and the State’s policing machinery as well. As they tried to do and in some instances did with the support of the State in the now case celebre of ‘Aldeia de Goa’.

There is also a tendency on the part of the State to say that they are acquiring/leasing large tracts of wastelands and hilly terrains on which no agricultural activity is possible. This is false. While in some cases prime yielding land has been slaughtered in pursuance of the zoning change permitted by the Regional Plan, in other cases there is an issue with what are perceived as wastelands. For instance, rocky areas where grass grows on which cattle in the village are brought for grazing is perceived as wasteland or unproductive land. There is a serious perception issue here. What about the people who draw their livelihoods from these lands? When will we begin to think people-centric? People’s Economic Zones, not Special Economic Zones, the group SEZ Watch in Goa has voiced as a people’s demand.

So call them Regional Plan nature-destroying zoning changes, call them SEZs, call them IT Parks under the IT Policy, they are all to be looked at with a microscopic lens and scrapped/not allowed, and a people’s planning process initiated.

CSJP on SEZs

SEZs are not viable in Goa
- By CSJP (Council of Social Justice and Peace)

Always alert to emerging socio-economic situations, especially in the State of Goa, the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) has been prompt in analyzing the impact of new developmental projects, with the assistance of relevant experts and often in collaboration with other concerned Agencies/Bodies.

In 1996, when the proposal was floated to establish a “Free Port” in Goa, this Body consulted widely with experts at even the international level and presented the findings at a Conference in Goa. The well informed and concerned participants asserted that a “Free Port” was not at all a feasible development for Goa.

The physical context of Goa has not changed since then. In fact the supply of basic amenities like water, roads and transport, electricity etc. for the bloating population in the State has deteriorated and citizens are suffering. Hence, when information of the intentions of the Government of India to approve Special Economic Zones (SEZ’s) in Goa was made known, even before the Government had received any SEZ proposals, in July 2005 the CSJP organised a Symposium in collaboration with other Bodies.

This event provided the Government and other interested Agencies the opportunity to present whatever information they had on the benefits of SEZ’s to Goa. Also experts, professionals and other interested citizens who participated in the symposium voiced their studied views. This exercise resulted in drawing up a realistic ‘balanced sheet’ on SEZ’s in Goa. The Government was forcefully cautioned about approving even one SEZ in Goa as it is clearly seen that they are against the interest of Goans.

Today, the facts and the questions that arise are:

The Regional Plan for Goa was so detrimental to sustainable development in Goa particularly in the aspect of JUDICIOUS LAND USE, that it had to be withdrawn in its entirety. The State of Goa is only 3,702 square kilometers in area. It needs to be accepted that this is meager land area. Only around 50,000 hectors of non agricultural land available for any spatial planning including the future needs of Goa for rural settlements for the ever increasing population, urbanization and sustainable (non polluting) industries. Are the People’s representatives (MLA’s) so naïve or so opportunistic that they permit new land - gobbling projects which are undeniably against the needs of and benefits for the majority of the common people?

A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a large insulated AUTONOMOUS territory, totally under the control of multi – rich market forces, with a Development Commissioner present as a facilitator. The bureaucracy cannot in anyway hinder functioning as all NOC’s are obtained by the DC of the SEZ. The exporter will need infrastructure like excellent road connectivity airport, sea port, telecommunication system. Hospitals, hostels, entertainment facilities, water and power facilities, adequate sanitation and sewerage system, etc., which naturally will be drawn from the State of Goa depriving the citizens of their basic needs. Is this justifiable?


Each SEZ requires 1,000 Hectares of prime land, (less for specific industries/activities) which will not be accessible to the common citizens. There will be very little land left for the people (aam admi) with few resources to develop for their need. Besides the prices will soar beyond the purchasing potential even of the middle-income group. Where in Goa will the citizens be able to live progressively? Are they not being denied their democratic rights?

It is stated that water and power facilities for a SEZ will not be under the auspices of the PWD or Electricity Department but under the Development Commissioner (D.C) of SEZ. From where is the D.C going to produce the huge amounts of water and power facilities that the SEZ will require, if not from the already depleted supply of Goa? The monsoons are the main source of recharging groundwater. Unfortunately Measures have not been taken by the Government to stop the 80% ‘run off’. If SEZ uses such large amounts of water from where will the citizens get water for their basic needs? Also the supply of electricity is insufficient/irregular. What practical solutions can the Authorities find, except by depriving the citizens of these essentials?

A SEZ requires 1,000 Hectares of land area which may be less if it is with a specific industry. The Industrial Estates in Goa, about 18, occupy an area of nearly 2000 hectares. The Units therein get subsidies, yet apparently run at losses, many are highly polluting. Some of them close down after the owners take all the advantages leaving the unfortunate workers bereft of everything. If successive Governments in Goa have failed to control this deplorable situation, what can people expect in the case of AUTONOMOUS SEZ’s?

A SEZ being autonomous under control of the industrialist who set up their businesses and skilled labour force being the requirement, the thousands of unemployed youth of Goa will hardly be found qualified and competent to compete for such employment. The inevitable influx of migrants will follow. For whose benefit are the SEZ’s being established if Goan unemployed youth will hardly get any employment?

Besides each SEZ Unit will get exemption from import duty and from any Tax including Service Tax. They will also be provided for a Direct Investment {FDI} and permitted to repatriate 100% profits to the parent company overseas. What economic benefits will the citizens of Goa get in this system?

With Goa having become a transport corridor from Kerala to Kashmir and other States, Goa’s roads do not have the carrying capacity and a critical situation has arisen in this respect. How can the high volume of transport for import/ export be absorbed in such a small State except by choking its rightful citizens?

The CSJP reiterates the demands of the people that Special Economic Zones are not all viable in Goa and cannot be accepted.

amka naka SEZ

This Blog is being created to expose the sinister proposals of the SEZs in Goa...

People's Movements Against SEZs in various parts of Goa,
namely Keri, Pernem, Sancoale, Loutolim, Verna and Quitol,
supported by various NGOs
like Council for Social Justice & Peace, Jagrut Goem and Goa Bachao Abhiyan,
have come together under the banner of
SEZ VIRODHI MANCH
to unitedly and collectively ensure that the people's will,
unambiguously expressed through gram sabha resolutions against SEZs
in various villages is respected and implemented by the state Government.

-compoled by SVM spokesman, Edwin (Mob:9823916385)