Goans will not allow SEZs in Goa: Virodhi Manch

Goans will not allow SEZs in Goa: Virodhi Manch

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, MARCH 12

The SEZ Virodhi Manch has warned that Goans would not allow any SEZs in any form anywhere in the state of Goa and strongly demanded that the state government vigorously pursue the matter of de-notification of the three notified SEZs at the highest level at the centre.

Strongly condemning the reported statements of Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia, SVM Convenor Charles Fernandes said statements by the Union Minister and the refusal by the Ministry of Commerce to de-notify the notified SEZs in Goa speak volumes of the nexus between the Centre and the SEZ promoters.

“The statements also expose the monetary gratifications received by the Ministry to make such decisions and statements days before the matter is taken up for final hearing on March 15, 2010 deliberately intending to support the case of the SEZ promoters”, he said.

Fernandes said the people fail to understand how the Union Minister can speak on refund of duties and exemptions, already availed by the developers for authorised activities when not even a single structure has come up on the allotted land and no activities have begun. Moreover, he said SVM has repeatedly stated that no compensation should be paid to SEZ promoters for illegal construction on the fraudulently allotted lands when the constructions have not even taken place on the lands that have come up without appropriate approval from competent authorities.

He said the State government has officially requested the Centre to de-notify the three SEZs bowing down to the wishes of the people and has further even withdrawn the SEZ policy for the State. “Therefore, SEZs cannot be set up without an SEZ policy existing in the state”, he added.

Fernandes said the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in its annual report has also exposed the nexus between the GIDC and SEZ promoters in the fraudulent allotments of land for SEZs which was actually required for setting up industrial estates defeating the very purpose of land acquisition and further causing huge losses in hundreds of crores of rupees to the state exchequer by allotting the same at throw away rates, adding that the people fail to understand why the Opposition is mute over the matter when in fact they should be demanding accountability from the government.

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Peoples' Audit of SEZs held on Sunday

Panel visits Verna & Keri SEZ sites

On 19 December 2009, the panel of experts who have come down to Goa for the PEOPLES' AUDIT OF SEZs (on Sunday, 20 Dec 2009, Caritas Hall, Panaji, Goa) visited the SEZ sites of Raheja at Verna and later Meditabs at Keri. They included Shekhar Singh, Adv Prashant Bhushan, Adm Ramdas, Kalpana Sharma and K B Saxena. Also present were Preeti Sampat, Sumanya Velamur, Nikhil Dey, Prasad Bhagwe, Mike and Mukta Shrivastava.

They were joined by Charles Fernandes, Franky Monteiro, Carmen Miranda, Peter Gama and other villagers at Verna. At Keri they were received by Rohidas Satarkar, Ramkrishna Jhalmi, Swati Kerkar, Dilesh Hazare, Dr Videsh Jhalmi and other villagers. Pravin Sabnis, Fr Simon Fernandes, Solano D'Souza and filmmaker Stalin K Padma was also present for the field visit

Earlier they visited and expressed their solidarity with persons from mining affected villages who were sitting on a day long fast at Azad Maidan. They also visited the Verna site where toxic industrial waste is being irresponsibly burnt.

Peoples' Audit of SEZs

PEOPLES' AUDIT OF SEZs

Sunday, 20 Dec 2009, Caritas Hall, Panaji, Goa.

Panelists: Shekhar Singh, Adv. Prashant Bhushan, Admiral (retd) Ramdas, Devinder Sharma, Kalpana Sharma, KB Saxena

Observers: Medha Patkar and others

AGENDA:

9.30 am: Overview of the struggle against SEZs in Goa – Charles Fernandes

10am-12noon: Presentations by villagers from Keri, Verna Loutolim, Sancoale, Betul

12noon: The social impact of SEZs - Fr Maverick

12.30 pm: SEZs negate Panchayati Raj – Soter D’Souza

1.00 pm: Lunch

2.00 pm: RTI unearthed the SEZ scam - Franky Monteiro

2.30 pm: Irresponsible Industrialisation – Allan Faleiro

3.00 pm: Panelists Speak

4.00 pm Audit concludes with PRESS CONFERENCE

Criminal burning of Industrial Waste at Verna

On 10 December, SVM activists led the media to a private site on Verna plateau

where Industrial Waste is being burnt in a private property

sans any procedures for the last 8 months.

Children as young as 15 years are doing the toxic job.

Seeing the media coming, they began to douse the fire with water.

This environmental crime is happening in the backyard of Goa's Environment Minister.

check out the pics on

http://picasaweb.google.com/pravinsabnis/Verna10Dec09#

SEZ case hearing adjourned to Feb 9

TNN 2 December 2009, 05:25am IST
PANAJI: The high court of Bombay at Goa on Monday adjourned the hearing of petitions pertaining to the special economic zones (SEZ) to February 9, 2010.
A division bench comprising Justice V K Tahilramani and Justice N A Britto deferred the hearing of the petitions filed by six SEZ promoters—Meditab Specialities Pvt Ltd, Peninsular Pharma Research Centre Pvt Ltd, Paradigm Logistic & Distribution Private Ltd, Planetview Mercantile Company Pvt Ltd, Inox Mercantile Company Pvt Ltd and Maxgrow Finlease Pvt Ltd—challenging the show cause notices issued by Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) over the withdrawal of land allotted to them (promoters) after the state government changed its SEZ policy. While adjourning the hearings, the bench directed the state government to file its reply to the amended petitions by January 9, 2010. Further, the SEZ promoters have been directed to file their rejoinder to the government's reply, if any, within two weeks thereafter. The court had on July 27 allowed the petitioners to amend their petitions in view of the withdrawal of the SEZ policy by the state government on June 15. The government had not filed any reply to these amended petitions. While adjourning the hearing of the petitions, the bench told the advocates appearing on behalf of the petitioners and the respondents that no further adjournments would be granted, and also that the bench was inclined to take up the petitions for final disposal on February 9. The SEZ promoters in their petitions pleaded that since they invested heavily in the projects, they suffered huge losses after stop-work orders were issued by the state government. Meanwhile, on February 9, the court will also hear the public interest litigations filed by the villagers of Keri, Sancoale and Verna, challenging GIDC's decision to allot land in their respective villages on lease agreements to the SEZ promoters. The villagers have complained that the land was allotted fraudulently.

only talk, no walk... by Goa CM

Centre will not enforce SEZs: CM
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, NOV 19
Chief Minister Digamabar Kamat today said that the Centre will not force the Special Economic Zones on Goa against the wishes of the citizens of the state.“During my visit to Delhi I met the Industries Minister Anand Sharma and the Industries Secretary and reminded them about the de-notification of three SEZs, which were earlier notified in Goa,” Kamat told reporters.
He said the Goa government has withdrawn the controversial SEZ policy and hence there is no question of any SEZs making entry through backdoor.
Asked why was the delay in de-notifying SEZs as the State had decided to scrap them almost two years ago, Kamat said, “The SEZs cannot be de-notified overnight and the government has to study the legal implication which I know they are doing.”
“The Centre will not force the SEZ against the wishes of Goans,” he said. He said the AICC president Sonia Gandhi too has assured the Goans that SEZs will not be forced on them.

SVM condemns Aleixo Sequeira for SEZ statement

Manch condemns Aleixo Sequeira for SEZ statement
TNN 11 November 2009, 05:11am IST
PANAJI: The SEZ Virodhi Manch has condemned the statements made by power minister, Aleixo Sequeira, that he is in favour of setting up a special economic zone in Goa.
"At a time when ruling and opposition MLAs, cutting across party lines, have denounced SEZs in the state, and moreover, when even the government, realising its folly, has scrapped SEZs and the SEZ policy for Goa, the vested interests of the MLA stand exposed, as he is one among the few legislators who are instrumental in the said fraudulent allotment of lands for SEZs in the state," convenor of the Manch, Charles Fernandes, alleged. "Today, people in the state know that SEZs are autonomous bodies comprising of not only industries, but also commercial spaces, multiplexes, residential complexes, etc, having their own labour laws, law and order, free from all taxes, including import and export duties, and above all, outside the jurisdiction of the local bodies and state government. Yet the MLA seems to be in favour of the SEZs, as he believes that the industries that were to come up, were IT industries, and hence non-polluting, which in turn would create employment not only for highly qualified, but also for youngsters who have only passed the SSC," Fernandes said. Fernandes questioned the MLA as to where the employment force of 2.85 lakh persons would come from. He said that 51 lakh litres of water per day and 135 KVA of power per day would be required by the SEZ companies at Verna alone. "People of the state demand to know how many local villagers and citizens of the state are employed in the industrial units at the Verna industrial estate? People form villages repeatedly complain to panchayats that garbage from industrial units is seen dumped at various places along the roads leading to the villages. Being the minister for environment, Sequeira is turning a Nelson's eye to the environment hazard. Surely, the MLA should do much more than merely forward representations received from the people to the respective departments," Fernandes said.

CM snubs Aleixo, rules out SEZs
TNN 10 November 2009, 05:25am IST
PANAJI: Chief minister Digambar Kamat on Monday said his government is clear on its special economic zones (SEZ) policy and that it would not welcome them in Goa. He was reacting to statements made by environment minister Aleixo Sequeira on Sunday favouring setting of SEZs in the state. Kamat dismissed Sequeira’s statement as “his individual opinion”. “The government policy is clear, and we have already communicated our stand to the Centre,” Kamat told TOI. Regarding Sequeira’s views on the subject, he added, “Some persons may have their individual views and whatever he (Sequeira) has said is just that.” Kamat categorically stated there is no question of a government rethink on the SEZ policy. “We cannot go on changing our stand,” the CM said.

HC adjourns SEZ plea to Aug 31

HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JULY 27
The Division Bench of Bombay High Court on Monday adjourned the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) petitions for final hearing till August 31 thus asking the petitioners to amend the petitions in view of withdrawal of SEZ policy by the State Government within four weeks.
The Bench comprising of Justice S B Deshmukh and Justice U D Salvi ordered the State Advocate General Subodh Kantak to amend the petition and file it before the Bench in next four weeks and thereafter two weeks for reply.
In last order on June 16, the petitioners were asked to amend the petition within two weeks.The amendment is warranted after Chief Minister Digambar Kamat-led government on June 15, 2009 withdrew the SEZ policy. The State government had scrapped 12 SEZs while three are awaiting de-notification with Central Commerce Ministry.
The six SEZ promoters – Meditab Specialities Pvt Ltd, Peninsular Pharma Research Centre Pvt Ltd, Paradigm Logistic & Distribution Private Ltd, Planetview Mercantile Company Pvt Ltd, Inox Mercentile Company Pvt Ltd and Maxgrow Finlease Pvt Ltd are before High Court. They moved High Court after Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) issued them show cause notice asking them to withdraw the land allotted to them as State government has taken a decision not to have SEZs in Goa.
The promoters’ contention is that they have invested heavily in the SEZ projects and suffered huge losses due to the stop work orders issued by the government.
The GIDC had acquired about 3.8 million square meters of land for setting up the SEZs.
CM Digambar Kamat during the ongoing Assembly session has submitted on the floor that decision to withdraw the SEZ policy is absolutely right, stating that such enclaves would have ‘put strain on State’s resources’.

Goa criticised for pushing SEZs in guise of ‘health estates’

Panaji, July 18 (IANS)
Health estates, a new real estate project being aggressively promoted by the Goa government, has raised the hackles of Goa’s numerous civil society groups who allege that the government is trying to slip in SEZs through the back door by disguising them.
The health estates, which were notified through a government gazette, are meant to promote health services and facilitate medical tourism in the state. They will function under the newly formed Goa Health Services Development Corporation.
The notification dated June 26 defines health services as “any services by way of finance, premises, hospitals, health centres and any other services for betterment of health of the community and society at large”.
With the Congress-led coalition government’s earlier attempts to parcel out large tracts of land to real estate developers in the guise of mega housing projects, IT parks and fraudulently made allotments to Special Economic Zone (SEZ) developers successfully scuttled by sustained civil dissent since 2006, not many are willing to buy the concept of health estates.
“These are SEZs by another name. Those who devised these health estates are only interested in development of real estate,” Sabina Martins, co-convenor of the Goa Bachao Abhiyaan (GBA), told IANS. GBA is an umbrella organisation of nearly 30 NGOs that has spearheaded and channelled public campaigns over the last three years.
“The notification allows land to be acquired for public purpose and then in the name of private-public partnership allows alteration of its use,” Martins said.
Arvind Bhatikar, an former bureaucrat and civic activist, said the health estates were nothing but another land scam waiting to happen in Goa, which has seen real estate prices reaching dizzying heights in the recent past.
Father Maverick Fernandes, secretary of the Roman Catholic Church-backed Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), criticised the government for making yet another attempt to “grab” land. “Instead of doing all this, the government should use the land judiciously and for the betterment of the people,” he said.
Interestingly, the Trained Nurses Association of Goa, which has also opposed the health estates project, has said that government run hospitals were critically short of essential facilities.
“Our hospitals in Goa are in shambles. First, the government should at least improve the present infrastructure. Goa’s best state-run health facility, the Goa Medical College, is in a mess. The government has got to get its priorities right,” said Nilima Rane, secretary of the Trained Nurses Association.
Indian Medical Association president Amol Tilve said that the implications of the Goa Health Services Development Act, which empowers the creation of health estates, needs to be examined thoroughly.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has, however, denied any ulterior motive as far as the health estates were concerned. “There is nothing to hide. It is not going to be a five-star residential complex. It is going to be purely a place to provide health facilities or allied activities to benefit the people of Goa. I will do what my conscience permits and as advised by the health advisory council,” he said earlier this week.

http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/1/31840.htm