The Investment Promotion Board, this investor believes, does not guarantee single window clearance since in his experience it had not happened. The body, he claims does not have the teeth to ensure that proposals cleared by it do not face obstructions by various parties in the State.
Sudhakar Rao, chairman of the Champion Group, made these observations on the occasion of the launch of a floatel in Panjim. The catamaran which is the first of ten or twenty crafts which will be launched over the next one year is expected to generate employment as well as pump revenue into the local economy. The company is expected to bring a casino in the state in a year’s time.
Rao said the State had lost over Rs 1000 crore in investment in the hospitality sector due to problems faced either in getting the necessary permissions or due to objections raised by villagers over CRZ issues. His attempt to have floating cottages in Goa, he said, was stuck because the relevant strictures were not in place and more importantly none of the relevant authorities were willing to take a decision for fear of retribution. This, he said, contrasted sharply with his experience in Vijayawada earlier in the week. The CM Chandrababu Naidu made an appeal for investments and Rs 28,000 crores were promised by various industries.
