Team Herald
PANJIM: Paucity of land has been the main reason for industries not coming to the State, Industries Minister Mahadev Naik told the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
Naik said that around 24 lakh sq mts of land have been locked up in court cases viz-a-viz Special Economic Zones, which were virtually donated to seven SEZ promoters by the previous government.
Besides, he said, the government had made several attempts to acquire land at many places for industrial purposes but the attempts have met with agitations everywhere.
Despite this, he said, the government through the Investment Policy has made serious attempts to bring in more industries to Goa, and that the Investment Promotion Board has cleared 77 new proposals.
On the issue of employment of non-Goans in industries, Naik said, industries were set up in Goa since 1966 and the people in power since then should have assured that Goans were employed.
“Our government has made serious attempts to see that Goans are employed in industries and we have decided to inspect the factories and see how many Goans are actually working in the industries. If we find not many locals working, we will ask the managements to henceforth employ Goans,” he said.
The industries minister also said that the GIDC is facing a loss of Rs 2 crore every month by providing water to the industries.
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GSCB incurred loss for waiving off loans to politicians
Co-operation Minister Mahadev Naik on Wednesday told the House that the one-time settlements given by Goa State Co-operative Bank (GSCB), during the Congress regime, led to losses to the bank to the tune of Rs 45 crore.
In his reply to the Cut Motion on the demands for Co-operation, Industries and Social Welfare, Naik said that the bank has waived off loans to politicians to the tune of Rs 14 cr which has seen the bank incur huge losses in the past.
“Without the approval from the Reserve Bank of India, the GSCB decided to waive off amounts to several politically-connected people to the tune of Rs 14 crore giving reasons that they were chronic defaulters,” he said.
Naming a few people he said GSCB waived Rs 74 lakh for Subash Shirodkar’s college Rayeshwar Institute of Technology, Rs 1.77 cr for Karapur Agro and Rs 1 cr for Tarcar Auto.
Naik also alleged huge scams in the Shiroda Urban Co-op Society and the Mapusa Urban Co-op Banks. “A loan of Rs 3.92 cr was given to the employees of Rayeshwar College (owned by Subash Shirodkar), which was never paid but these loans were paid in 2011 by Mapusa Urban Bank as one former minister tried to save another former minister,” he said.
He said that the Mapusa Urban gave a loan of Rs 2.10 cr for purchasing furniture to the same employees of the college in one day without any surety.
Similarly, Naik said, VPK Urban Co-op Society gave a loan of Rs 77 lakh for house repair to the same employees of RIT.
“This is a huge scam and if these things continue how will the Co-operative sector work?” he asked.
