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Mangalore: Furor at the SEZ Technical Committee Meet

  •   Sun, Feb 03 2008 01:42:21 AM

Daijiworld Media Network - MM
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje

Mangalore, Feb 2:Tension rose at the DCs' office when a large  number of agitators were not allowed to participate in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) technical committee public hearing meeting on Saturday, February 2.

The police at first stopped them at the entry point and didn't allow them in. The agitators convinced the police that they would participate in the meeting peacefully. They were then  allowed inside the premises  but were not given the opportunity to enter the meeting hall.




But a small number who had managed to gain early entry inside  asked  the organizers to allow the protestors inside the meeting hall. They threatened to boycott the meeting, if the protestors were not allowed inside the meeting hall. Finally the organizers gave in and the agitating crowd was allowed in.

The agitators showed  their strength  again when Kumble Narasimha Prabhu, chairman of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) started speaking. The agitators alleged that Kumble Narasimha Prabhu was  one of the stakeholders in SEZ.   Hence they insisted that he does not speak further on SEZ.  All efforts by the  organizers to calm down the agitators failed.
  

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Comment on this article

  • Joe Britto, Nakre/Bangalore

    Sun, Feb 03 2008

    Recently the Union Commerce Ministry has indicated that the centre has the right to de-notify a SEZ . As per the Hnble Minister Mr. Kamal Nath ,there are provisions in the SEZ Act for review of the notified Zones. Also it is clear that the Centre does not wish to thrust the SEZ's on the States. The Goa Chief Minister has requested Mr. Kamal Nath to cancell all the 15 SEZ's in the State including the three notified following the protests .

    A formal request is being sent to the Ministry. Earlier the Goa C.M had Termed SEZ as deterimental to the State's interest. The task force headed by the C.M. Digamber Kamath on Sunday recommended the scrapping of SEZ’s. The intention of permitting the SEZ’s is to reap the benefits of Industrialisation and employment generation. This can be actually achieved without SEZ’s, if incentives are extended to incoming Industries.

    The required Industrial development can be achieved if the government focuses on providing good infrastructure to the Industrial units according to the chairman if the Task Force Mr. Charles Correa. The task force noted that Goa will also not have a substantial revenue benefit by means of direct or indirect taxes through SEZ’s. The state will have to incur expenditure to provide infrastructure outside the SEZ area which will be a additional burden on the State exchequer. The task force also agreed that the jobs will not benefit the locals.

    The huge amount of land blocked will also deprive opportunities to genuine entrepreneurs and companies requiring land to set up Industries which are not product specific and not dependent on Government incentives”. According to Mr. Edgar Rebeiro, Land being a very scarce commodity , Land utilisation has to be properly monitored. What holds good for Goa should also hold equally good for Dakshina Kannada/Karnataka as well , where land is equally a scarce commodity .

    The authorities say only a small part is Agricultural land and the major portion to be taken over is wasteland , but their words need to be truly verified and people have lost faith in their verbal assurances which are soon forgotten once the project gets under way. Promotion of SEZ’s at the expense of FERTILE land or even precious FOREST areas will ring the end of all Agricultural and natural activities and eventually lead to utter chaos and destruction.

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