http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?part=news&Story_ID=071624
NT Staff Reporter
Panaji July 15: The United Goans Democratic Party MLA from Cortalim, Mr
Mathany Saldanha said that the proposed special economic zone (SEZ) to
be set up either at Quepem or Verna will adversely affect Goa.
?The state is too small for such a zone and will not be able to bear
the pressures of infrastructure as well as manpower required by the
same,? he predicted.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Saldanha said that the SEZ is like an
embassy, a country within a country with different sets of laws enacted
by a council and not by the legislators, municipalities or panchayats.
He further said that there are a number of questions such as what would
be the status and powers of the municipalities and panchayats which
will be included into the SEZ, what guarantee is there that the Mundcar
Act, the land to the Tiller Act and the subsequent amendments will not
be nullified to fulfill the demand for land and whether the citizens of
Goa be allowed to move freely in and out of the SEZ area or will there
be entry permits and Goans be treated as strangers or suspects in their
own land, that need to be answered before setting up a SEZ in Goa.
Mr Saldanha also expressed doubt as to whether the green belts would be
destroyed due to the pressure for land requirements, more so, with the
idea of establishing a cluster of four SEZ units starting with the
Quepem taluka.
The Cortalim MLA also pointed out that a SEZ requires huge land, a
minimum of 200 sq kms, as per the Price Water House Coopers Report. The
report also envisages 20 lakh jobs made available by such zone, he
said, questioning ?if we consider one lakh to be the unemployed
population of Goa, then from where will the rest of the 19 lakh
work-force be made available??
Mr Saldanha also said that there would be uncontrolled influx of people
into the state, which could prove to be a serious threat to the
security of the local people.
?The projects like SEZ and Free Port are successful only in nation
states like Singapore and Mauritius, dictatorial countries like China
or quasi-dictatorial states like Banana Republic of South America,? he
maintained.
Replying to a question regarding the local industrial fraternity
welcoming the SEZ in Goa, Mr Saldanha said that it is the opinion of
the businessmen who are more interested in profits. ?The SEZ, on the
other hand, will give no guarantee of protection of jobs to the
workers,? he predicted.
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Regards,
Carlos
