PORVORIM: Assuring the House to expedite the investigation into the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) land allotments, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Thursday said that the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB), probing the matter, will be directed to submit a preliminary report within 30 days.
Parsekar also told the State Legislative Assembly that government is working out possibility for out-of-court settlement with the SEZ promoters, wherein 20 per cent land would be allotted to the promoters while retaining the balanced 80 per cent of land for industrial development.
“The FIR is filed by ACB against those who are responsible for the illegal allotment of land to SEZ promoters. Though people of Goa had shown them their place for their misdeeds and for putting the State on sale in 2012 election, government will also do its responsibility,” Parsekar said responding to a Question by Congress MLA Mauvin Godinho.
“I will ask ACB to expedite the investigation and submit me the preliminary report in 30 days,” Chief Minister said.
The question raised by Godinho received strong support from the ruling panel as well as independent MLAs, who questioned delay in initiating action against those prime culprits responsible in allotting nearly 38 lakhs sq mtrs of SEZ plots to the promoters are a very meagre rate.
The Congress MLA pegged the entire scam worth Rs 40,000 crore.
Speaker of the State Assembly Anant Shet also urged government to speed up the investigation and take necessary action against all those involved.
“The matter is currently pending before Supreme Court. But we are working out possibility of out of court settlement to ensure that the land comes back to state government and same could be utilised for industrial growth,” Parsekar said. However, Godinho suggested that State should not go for out of court settlement as Supreme Court will rule in favour of the government.
Industries Minister Mahadev Naik initially responding to the Question said that the land was allotted to the promoter by then government in the year 2006. He admitted that the allotment was illegal and has resulted in shrinking the existing land available for industrialisation in the State.
Former Chief Minister and Congress MLA Digambar Kamat, trying to justify his then government, told the House that it was the decision of the former Congress government to scrap the SEZ policy. “We had even served notices to the promoters directing them to revert back the land. However, they challenged the same before the High Court and then the Supreme Court,” Kamat said, who was interrupted by the ruling benches.
