PANJIM: After converting huge chunks of settlement and orchard land for industrial development, the Goa government is now contemplating to make State Cabinet approval mandatory for declaring or converting land over 25,000 sq mtrs in area as Investment Promotion Area under the Investment Promotion Act.
Also, for conversion of land between 15,000 to 25,000 sq mtrs, the approval of the Chief Minister will be a must while for land below 15,000 sq mtrs, the Industries Minister’s nod will be binding. Interestingly the Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board (IPB), the single window system for clearing investment proposals, is headed by the Chief Minister and has the Industries Minister as its member.
The Industries Department has drafted rules for the Goa Investment Promotion Act, 2014, which are currently pending before the Law Department for vetting. The rules have been drafted under sub-section (1) and (2) of section 24 of the Act.
As per the rules, pursuant to the in-principal approval and recommendation granted by IPB, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has to communicate the same to the Industries Secretary along with the details of the land and its ownership.
The draft rules, specify that if the Board considers the proposal to recommend to the government to demarcate certain area as Investment Promotion Area, then it should satisfy itself of the deserving nature of the proposal.
“The IPB must also satisfy itself after asserting material before itself that setting up of an industry in such area or overriding the provisions of a notified plan under the Town and Country Planning Act is absolutely necessary and in larger public interest,” it stated.
The IPB was constituted in November 2014, and till date it has granted in-principle approval to nearly 98 projects with total investment of Rs 14,000 crore.
