TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Considering that land allocated for industrial development has been left unutilized or underutilized for years, the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) has resolved to direct around 150 such plot owners to either start the work or surrender the plots to the corporation, Goa State Industries Association (GSIA) said on Thursday.
The decision was taken during the recent Goa Industrial Development Corporation board meeting. There are around 150 plots which were allotted during the previous regime.
Addressing a press conference, Goa State Industries Association president Shekhar Sardesai said that during the recently held Board meeting, the guideline for regularizing transfer of plots were approved and the same has been forwarded for legal vetting.
“As per the regulations, the genuine entrepreneurs or industrialists who failed to bring their units into profit would be able to transfer their plots in most transparent manner,” he said, adding ‘there are several plot owners who bought plots for purpose of market speculation and hence remained unutilized for years’.
Sardessai said that Board has now resolved to send notices to all such plot owners directing to either start the work or surrender it. “They cannot transfer the plots now,” he stated.
Speaking to HERALD, Blaise Costabir, GIDC Board member said that around 150 plots have been identified by Corporation, which remained unutilized or underutilized. “A time frame of two years has been set for plot owner to start business. In case of these 150, the time has lapsed and hence they cannot transfer the plot,” he added.
Costabir stated that as per new transfer regulations, it is mandatory for the plot allocatees to utilize 30 percent of their plots and carry out certain portion of production activities, before putting up papers for transfer.
Meanwhile, Sardesai said that as per new plot allotment regulation, total 55 offers of allotments have been issued in the industrial estates of Tuvem and Pissurlem. The President said that in the first phase plot allotments in the three industrial estates were carried out- Tuvem, Kakoda and Pissurlem. Total 132 applications were received, of which 67 qualified for allotments.
Of the total 67, Sardesai said, 41 offers of allotments were issued for Tuvem and 14 for Pissurlem. “However, no letter were issued in case of Kakoda industrial estates as the qualified number-12, was more than the number of plots available there. Hence we have decided to go for lots,” he added. Sardesai maintained that a complete transparency was maintained while allotting the plots.
