This is certainly not achhe din… and going by the current trend, the Canacona Industrial estate is not quite heading in a healthy direction. The Canacona Industrial Estate, which was established in 1988, currently has 92 plots allotted to 54 parties. With 22 industries having downed shutters for economic not non-viability reasons, there is nothing much to cheer about.
A few years ago, the government had initiated to acquire about 2.86 lakh sq mts of land for setting up an industrial estate at Kulti plateau in Poinguinim, which was subsequently dropped due to huge resistance from the locals.
Two plots were allotted to an LPG dealer who stores and sells cylinders from the shed constructed in these plots. One plot was allotted to a car dealer who began as an automobile servicing unit but now has converted it into a showroom. Three plots are sub-leased for communication towers. Most of the plots with factories have shut down and wear a deserted look with an overgrowth of vegetation.
An alcohol manufacturing factory, Penguin Alcohol Pvt Ltd, had shut down its ethanol distilling plant a decade ago. This was repurchased by Siddhi Multi Trade Pvt Ltd, Maharashtra, and after selling all metal/machinery, the structure which is rusty, might come down like a pack of cards any time. The structure still houses two huge MS tanks filled with molasses sludge. The owners claim that they have transferred 700 tonnes of it to Maharashtra for bio-fertiliser production. But there’s still a huge quantity waiting to be transferred. Due to corrosion, there is a fear that these tanks might give way and the contents may pollute the rivulet.
The modus operandi of some of these traders is simply shocking. They “acquire” land to set up industrial units, take all benefits from state, including the tax holidays, subsidy, etc and then transfer the machinery and establish it elsewhere. The government should maintain a strict vigil on such errant industrialists who also put the employees’ jobs at stake. Most workers hail from the neighbouring Karwar district, sources said.
