PANJIM: Following the announcement of the government’s plans of implementing a proposed Regularisation of Illegal Structures and Encroachments Act 2015, the United Goans Foundation (UGF) highlighted yet another Act that aims to override the powers of other laws including land laws and Town and Country Planning laws through the Investment Promotion Act 2014.
Speaking to media persons, UGF secretary Avinash Tavares pointed to Clause 7 of the Act that was passed last year.
“The Investment Promotion Act 2014 is particularly heinous since Clause 7 in the Act states that once an area is designated in the Investment Promotion Area, all laws such as Land Revenue Code, Panchayat Act, TCP Act etc cease to apply. Even the Municipality Act is not spared. In the absence of any other Act, UGF asks whether this is a backdoor entry for SEZ-like entities into the State?” said Tavares.
The Foundation also questioned the method in which the policy was drafted and the consultants hired to draft the policy. They claim it to be fraudulent as the committee was formed in violation of cabinet guidelines. They also said that no minutes of the meetings were obtained under RTI and there was no data such as statistics, research documents and feasibility reports on proposed industrial estates given to the committee.
The committee had eventually decided on appointing KPMG as consultants to draft the policy but instead of completing it within a month, the consultants worked in just nine days. Their initial bid was at Rs 7,50,000 but were eventually paid Rs 9,55,925 and an additional Rs 1,30,875 for travel and accommodation.
UGF president Aashish Kamat on the other hand questioned the need for more land when the government was already in possession of large areas of land.
“There are areas earmarked for the SEZ, Mopa land, the two dozen industrial estates that have several empty slots. We fail to understand why the government is land hungry when they already have so much of land in their possession,” he said.
UGF, in addition to filing a complaint with the Vigilance Department, has also written to the President of India, Chief Justice and Governor of Goa highlighting the problems the two Acts pose for the future of the State.
