Anti-SEZ activists still fighting in SC to keep SEZ out of Goa as Kamat government gets cold feet.

 BY GERARD DE SOUZA

gerard@herald-goa.com

PANJIM: The government did not seriously defend its decision to scrap the SEZ policy in the state, when it was challenged by SEZ developers, according to anti-SEZ petitioner João Philip Pereira.

Pereira, the first among many to file petitions before the Bombay High Court at Goa challenging the procedure of allotment of SEZs, has said that the government’s decision and its subsequent development of cold feet on the issue, resulted in the SEZs still not being de-notified and it would definitely be an election issue.

“The government did not take enough interest in the issue, when it came to defending its decision in the High Court when the Rahejas challenged the government’s order. It was left to us to do that,” said Pereira, who also has filed cases against Loutolim MLA Aleixo Sequeira, then Managing Director of GIDC Ajit D Naik and former Chairman of GCCI Nitin Kuncolienkar.

However, no First Information Report (FIR) has been filed yet either at the Verna or Maina Curtorim Police Stations, where the complaints have been filed. Pereira has approached the court and the case is still pending.

Pereira feels that the SEZ issue will be a major election issue especially for Nuvem constituency

Earlier, another anti-SEZ activist Franky Monteiro of SEZ Virodh Manch had accused the government of acting only after persistent pressure from the public.

“He (chief minister) only acted time to time after there was public pressure on him. He never took steps to ask the Centre to denotify. If they were to put pressure and get it denotified then they (SEZ promoters) would have no standing here,” Franky said referring to the petition currently being heard by the Supreme Court asking that the High Court order be quashed.

The High Court had decreed that the allotment of land to SEZ was done without following proper procedure and was hence illegal. The allotments were quashed.

It was on December 31, 2007, that Chief Minister announced to the people of Goa at a press conference that the government was ‘scrapping’ SEZ from the state. Four years later, but till date the central government is yet to de-notify SEZ in the state, while the chief minister and his government take refuge behind the fact that the Supreme Court has ordered a status quo on the allotment of land.

“When we first met the chief minister he kept on saying ‘At least I am not in favour and that he will not give them permission’. In the meanwhile the GIDC had already allotted the land and given work orders,” Franky begins as he tells a tale of how the Chief Minister said one thing while another was being done. It was only after the SVM began taking to the streets and holding meetings and dharnas, that the SVM received the ‘scrapping’ of SEZ information as a new year’s gift. The government issued a stop work order on January 7 and later on January 10 sent letters to the central government to denotify the notified SEZs and withdrew their approvals,” Franky says recalling those days.

“Even the de-notification of the SEZ policy, was done only in June 2009. We were scared that with the SEZ policy still in place, there was scope for future SEZ to come into the state,” Franky said. 

The SEZ promoters in question are namely Meditab Specialities Pvt Ltd, Cipla group, Peninsular Pharma Research Ltd, Paradigm Logistic & Distributors, Planetview Mercantile Pvt Ltd, Inox Mercentile Pvt Ltd and M/s Maxgrow.