SEZ promoters will be probed for graft: Parrikar

SEZ promoters will be probed for graft: Parrikar
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, NOV 29 
After receiving a setback from the Bombay High Court at Goa judgment, which quashed their petitions, the seven Special Economic Zone (SEZ) promoters are in for more trouble with the Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar today saying they would be also investigated for graft.
Parrikar, who is the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is a top State Legislative Committee, said they will probe whether seven SEZ promoters paid bribes to government officials for illegal allotment of government land.
Delivering the judgement, the High Court had stated that the allotment of lands to the companies by GIDC were in undue haste and without proper scrutiny of their applications.
It further said that the allotment of lands has been made arbitrarily, the procedure adopted in the allotment was not fair and transparent and the allotments made by the GIDC do not stand the test of reasonableness.
Addressing a press conference here, Parrikar, targeted the several bigwigs in the Congress, who he claimed were the part of Rs 100 cr scam.
“The current Speaker and then chief minister Pratapsingh Rane, former industries minister Luizinho Faleiro and several other politicians and officials could be the architects of Rs 100 crore scam, involving SEZ land allotment to the tune of 32 lakh sq mts spread in seven pockets spread across the State,” he said.
Asked whether the PAC would be probed for graft, he replied, “Of course they will be probed. They could have given bribes to officials (for illegal allotment of land).”
He said that anyone connected with the alleged scam could be summoned and asked to depose before the PAC under oath.
The SEZ promoters in question are namely Meditab Specialities Pvt Ltd, Cipla group, Peninsular Pharma Research Ltd, Paradigm Logistic & Distributors, Planetview Mercantile Pvt Ltd, Inox Mercantile Pvt Ltd and M/s Maxgrow.
“We have always said that the office of the chief minister, industries minister and officials of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (also known as the GIDC, it was the State Government agency which was the dealing hand in allotting land to the SEZ promoters) could be involved in the scam,” Parrikar said, adding that the BJP would file a criminal complaint against individuals involved in the scam, once the PAC completed its report in March next year.
The State Government was forced to denotify the allotment of 32 sq mts land to the SEZ promoters in face of stiff civil society protests a couple of years back.
The SEZ promoters had then approached the Bombay High Court challenging the government’s denotification decision, before the court quashed and set aside their application on Friday (Nov 26).