If our readers have been following our three part investigation into the Vani Agro beer and alcohol project, you would have realised that there are three agencies or arms of government, which have subverted processes and even rules and acts to jointly push one of the state’s largest beer and alcohol plants in Sanguem.
The first of them is the Investment Promotion Board which owes an explanation for two clear wrongs. Firstly a green field project, clearly categorised as a red category project was cleared by the board, when it has no authority under the Investment Promotion Act, under which the IPB has been formed to clear red category projects. Secondly, instead of allowing the conversion of only the area needed for the specific project it allowed one-lakh square metres of land to be converted from partly orchard and party agricultural to an Industrial zone. It derived this power under the Investment Promotion Act which actually supersedes the Town and Country Planning and Land Use acts. The validity of this act, which appears to be at variance with the grammar of the constitution, is certain to be challenged in court shortly, given the ferocity of growing voices against a project which will be the benchmark for bulldozing land and water to push industries, which would have never been allowed to be setup otherwise.
The second “angel” who has not just blessed but is completely involved with the project is the BJP MLA from Sanguem Subhash Phaldesai. The monetary relationship between Phaldesai’s family and Vani Agro was clearly indicative when his nephew Kunal Phaldesai received the Health NOC and signed ‘For Vani agro Farms Pvt ltd’. The MLA’s vested interest in the project was virtually sealed when documents showed that his brother and his nephew signed as witnesses to the sale deed of the land bought by the company for their beer and alcohol factory.
Not surprisingly, every local government worked as an extension of Phaldesai’s office to give clearances at breakneck speed, and blindly, no application of mind. The provisional Health NOC from the hygiene and sanitation point of view was issued in 48 hours. Meanwhile the Water Resources Department allowed the firm to draw 5.06 lakh litres (yes, 5.06 lakhs litres) of water daily from the upstream of the Uguem river. This water is used to irrigate a 10 hectare area. At the same time the Pollution Control Board allowed Vani Agro to draw from the ground water even though ground water aquifers have been severely depleted.
Meanwhile the Chief Officer of the Sanguem Municipal Council cleared the project on his own without even referring it to the council. So there is no copy of a council resolution, clearing
the project.
The moral of the Vani Agro story is that it is a story of no morals. The state has ceded its moral right to serve the people when it had toyed with the law of the land and bent and broken it for vested business interests, not the state interests. Its claim that the project will create jobs for locals is a hoax. The only “jobs’ it will create are of unskilled one’s. Of course it appears that one member of the MLA’s family, his nephew, who signs “For Vani Agro Farms Pvt Ltd” is very gainfully ‘employed’. Documents point to this. It is upto the MLA or his nephew to respond to this.
Most alarmingly, our investigation into the Vani Agro story has revealed that the multiple forces of local ruling party vested interests, rubber stamp government departments, which have stopped independent decision making, and the draconian Investment Promotion Board are jointly destroying Goa with absolutely no remorse.
