Centre can scrap notified Goa SEZs, Nath tells CM

PANAJI/NEW DELHI: Adopting a conciliatory stand in the stand-off with Goa over scrapping of special economic zones (SEZs) in the state, Union commerce & industry minister Kamal Nath said that the Centre can review all SEZs in Goa — irrespective of whether they have been notified or not. In a meeting with Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat on Thursday, Mr Kamal Nath asked him to give in writing the reasons for scrapping all SEZs in the state and promised to take necessary action.

The minister’s statement is in stark contrast to commerce secretary GK Pillai’s comment on Wednesday that notified SEZs cannot be denotified as they were legal entities.Speaking to reporters after the meet, Mr Kamal Nath said there was “absolute provision” in the SEZ Act for everything, including review of the notified zones. “Centre can review all Goa SEZs,” he said.

“We have been assured that no SEZ, including those notified, will be allowed in Goa, if the state does not want it. The minister is very concerned and cooperative on this issue,” said Mr Kamat who along with north Goa MP Shantaram Naik and state secretary JP Singh held an hour-long meeting with the Union minister.

The Centre’s decision to back off from a confrontation could be to avoid more controversies related to SEZs, especially in the light of the violence in Nandigram which lasted for months after a decision to scrap the Salim Group SEZ project was taken.

In the meeting, the Goa CM presented three points against the proposed SEZs. Besides highlighting public sentiment against developing such zones, he is understood to have shown facts to prove that SEZs to be a deterrent to the state’s growth; and as such would not generate any income or employment for the locals here, apart from posing grave environment concerns. Mr Kamat also brought to the Centre’s notice that the claims of employment generation by SEZ developers were far fetched.

“The companies’ have misrepresented facts to us while applying for SEZs. They are unable to prove that they can generate large-scale employment. That is how we got cheated into giving permissions,” said Congress MP from north Goa Shantaram Naik.

The Centre is likely to wait for the SEZ board to examine the points made by the Goa CM, before deciding its next course of action.A day before new year, Goa had decided to ‘do away’ with setting up SEZs and wanted central government to denotify the three approved zones.

Meanwhile, the issue took a political twist with the opposition alleging that Mr Kamat is only ‘buying time’ to dampen the anti-SEZ protests in the state. “If I come to power, these SEZs will never come. I doubt if the CM is serious about the issue, I have questions about his intention,” said leader of opposition and senior BJP leader