Central level probe demanded into SEZ land allotment

HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, DEC 9
After a fortnight the Goa Bench of Bombay High Court pointed out large scale irregularities in the allotment of 32 sq kms of land to seven SEZ promoters in Goa, one of the petitioners has demanded a Central level probe into the scam.
Addressing a press conference, Advocate F E Noronha who represented petitioner John Philip Pereira in the Public Interest Litigation in the Court said that the Government should hand over the probe to Central agencies like the CBI.
“Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) allotted 2.4 sq kms of land to SEZ promoters within a week without any project report or processing. Moreover, the SEZ applications were handwritten and neither sealed nor stamped…It is a scandal,” he alleged.
Pereira, who was also present for the briefing demanded immediate resignation of GIDC Board of Directors and conniving bureaucrats who were instrumental in the fraudulent land allotments.
The petitioner has also demanded stepping down of the Legislative Assembly speaker Pratapsing Rane, former GIDC director Alexio Sequeira and the present GIDC chairman Chandrakant Kavlekar.
Other demands included that land above a certain limit should be auctioned, Government to stop acquiring lands at Verna Industrial Estate and to appoint professionals on the GIDC Board of Directors.
The advocate besides cited a note by the Chief Minister stating ‘Please help these people’ in Raheja’s letter. “CM and Industries Minister were in support of the allotment,” he alleged.
“Land was allotted at Rs 650 per sq mtr which is quite a less amount. Besides, the open space was allotted free of cost earlier which was later allotted at Rs 100 per sq mtrs,” he added.
The scam related to SEZ land allotment to the tune of 32 lakh sq mtrs is spread in seven pockets across the state.
High Court on November 26 passed an order setting aside the allotments terming them ‘illegal’ and done in ‘undue haste’. The Court also ordered that the allotted land be reverted to the GIDC which had allotted the land to the seven promoters.
“The procedure adopted in the allotment is not fair and transparent. The allotments made by the GSIDC do not stand the test of reasonableness,” the Court had observed.
The opposition meanwhile has already called for a criminal investigation of two former Congress chief ministers – Pratapsing Rane and Luizinho Faleiro for favouring SEZ promoters. CM Digambar Kamat in a recent interview had told reporters that he has ‘still not read the order.’
The State was forced to de-notify the allotment of 32 lakh sq mtrs of land to SEZ promoters following stiff opposition from the Goans, years ago. The SEZ promoters then approached the High Court challenging the Government’s de-notification, which is set aside in the recent order.