Karnataka   

BJP campaign against SEZs in Goa

PANAJI: The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will launch a state-wide public awareness campaign from the first week of October against the proposed special economic zones (SEZs) in the State.

The BJP has repeatedly described the Government’s move to allow a number of SEZs in the tiny State by acquiring land through the State-owned Goa Industrial Development Corporation and giving it to private investors at a low cost as a “land scam.” The party has demanded that the Government take the Opposition parties non-governmental organisations into confidence on the SEZs and keep all the activities related to SEZs on hold tll a consensus was reached on the issue.

With the South Goa Lok Sabha byelection scheduled for next month, the BJP is sure to use the SEZ issue to take on the Congress-led coalition Government.

BJP MLA Laxmikant Parsekar, who will lead the campaign, said on Wednesday that the party would go to the doorstep of people explaining the negative effects of the SEZs and would also hold meetings.

Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar had earlier pointed out that around 98 lakh sq. mt. of land had been acquired by the Government for the private SEZs, while land exceeding 2 crore sq. mt. was under acquisition for the purpose.

Mr. Parsekar said the Government had recommended setting up of 15 SEZs in Goa, out of which seven had been approved by the Central Government and two notified. The number is considered too large for a tiny State such as Goa with limited land availability as also a small population of below 14 lakh.

The BJP had been questioning the Government over its role in making provision for the requirement of 400 MW of power and 140 MLD of water for the SEZs.

Raising a serious issue about the likely large-scale inward migration the SEzs could trigger in pursuit of jobs in SEZs, the BJP has raised concern over unwarranted pressure it would invite on State’s existing infrastructure.

Moreover, it wants to know the number of jobs SEZs would create and how many of them would actually the local educated unemployed be able to take up.

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