SEZ Manch blasts Parrikar for silence into fraudulent land deals
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: SEZ Virodhi Manch has condemned actions of the government in negotiating with SEZ promoters for withdrawal of the special leave petitions pending in the Supreme Court by alternately offering to provide them separate land to set up their industrial units.
Manch President Franky Monteiro said the reported moves of the government smacks of another land scam in the making. Interestingly, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has not identified the said separate land that would be given to the SEZ promoters to set up their units, he said.
He said that villagers of the villages concerned have filed three special leave petitions (himself being common appellant in all three SLPs) which are pending before the Supreme Court demanding that the entire 38,43,613 sq mts land
(24,07,963 sq mts at Verna Industrial Estate, 2,03,650 sq mts at Sancoale and 12,32,000 sq mts at Keri) be handed over to the original land owners. They have also demanded accountability against persons involved in fraudulent allotment of said lands acquired for industrial estates to SEZ promoters.
Monteiro said Parrikar is conspicuously silent on the more serious issue of bringing the persons involved in the fraudulent allotment of the SEZ lands to book. The FIR registered with the police by the government over a year back appears to be a mere eyewash as no outcome of the FIR is seen to be forthcoming.
While welcoming the withdrawal of the SLPs filed by SEZ promoters challenging the High Court judgement as long as the lands which were allotted to the SEZ promoters by the GIDC are handed over back to the original owners, he warned the government not to negotiate with the lands which were allotted for SEZs as the matter lies sub-judice.
