TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Cabinet cleared the re-allotment of the over 31000 sq mts land at the controversy ridden Rajiv Gandhi IT habitat, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar announced Wednesday.
“These are the plots which are not stuck in court and are on 31,073.67 sq mts of land. They will be re-allotted on a as is where is basis,” Parrikar told media at a post Cabinet press briefing, adding that the reserve price has been set at Rs 25,000 per sq mt and the plots will be allotted for use only for IT and IT services.
He said that that as of now they had paid a total of Rs 148 crores to various allottees out of which Rs 119 crore was taken as loan.
The 90 acres Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat was established at Dona Paula was sub-divided into 18 plots ranging from 4,000 to 40,000 square metres. Four sub-divided plots were also kept for supporting facilities. Out of the 18 plots, 16 were allotted along with the 4 sub-divided plots that were meant for infrastructure projects from 2006 and 2007.
However, after allegations of scams and allegations of several financial defaults, violations of the Terms and Conditions of the Lease Deed by the allottees, the allotments were cancelled and the Government passed the “The Goa (Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat-Cancellation/Abolition and Regulation of Allotment of Plots) Act, 2012” on 8th August, 2012 and notified in Official Gazette on 25/09/2012 by which the plots allotted in the IT Habitat were cancelled.
According to section 3 sub-clause (4) of the Act, the Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited was directed to refund the entire premium, lease rent/license fees, security deposit, installments received from the allottees till the date of cancellation alongwith simple interest at the rate of 10 percent per annum. The Corporation has refunded the entire amount to the plot allottees except two allottees who have gone to court.
A lot of the infrastructure has been completed even though the infrastructure work at the said project was stalled in December 2007 due to violent protests by the locals.
