TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: Goa government is examining the possibility of transferring both the loss making industrial estates located at Daman and Diu respectively, to the respective local administration after the Union Territory rejected Goa Industrial Development Corporation request for renewal of the lease for Diu industrial estate by 69 years.
Government is incurring loss of Rs 1.37 lakh every month on both the industrial estates. The March 16 GIDC board meeting will take a final call on this.
Officials informed that the Collector, Union Territory of Daman and Diu has rejected GIDC’s request for extension of lease for Diu industrial estate by 69 years. Government land of 1,10,638.00 sq mts at Malala, in Bucharvado village in Diu was leased out to the then Goa, Daman and Diu Industrial Development Corporation (GDDIDC) for a period of 30 years in 1982, which expired in October 2012.
In case of Daman, Goa government had acquired two lakh sq mtr of land while another 87,600 sqm of land has been transferred from the union territory administration.
Total 141 small and medium scale units are located on 207 plots at the industrial estates of Daman and Diu. The GIDC spends Rs 6.03 lakh per month and earns Rs 5.06 per month from Daman industrial estate while in case of Diu, the expenditure is Rs 1.9 lakh and income is Rs 1.5 lakh per month.
Chief Secretary B Vijayan confirmed to Herald, that the state administration in Daman and Diu has refused to grant extension for lease for Diu and accordingly the Governor has appointed him as a sole arbitrator to resolve the dispute. He however, refused to give the details whether government is planning to transfer the industrial estates to the local administration. “ I have no idea about it…..government has to take a decision,” he stated.
Senior industries official stated that government is planning to tranfer the industrial estates to Daman and Diu administration. “Though government has earned much profit on both the industrial estates in the initial period, now it’s facing financial loss,” sources said.
Official said since Daman and Diu ceased to be part of Goa after Goa attained statehood in 1987, policy makers are forced to review Goa’s presence there.
The plots in both the industrial estate are almost fully allotted. Officials said that the units in Diu operate seasonally with most involved in groundnut oil extraction. The Daman estate has pharma units and industries producing household items, furniture, cable manufacturing and others.
