Centre wants Goa, SEZs to settle spat
The Centre has decided to wash its hands off the controversy on the proposed denotification of the three notified special economic zones (SEZs) in Goa by the state.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: The Centre has decided to wash its hands off the controversy on the proposed denotification of the three notified special economic zones (SEZs) in Goa by the state. While the Goa government wants the commerce department to reconsider its view on the legal untenability of the denotification process, senior officials from the department said the Centre���s role in the issue was over and the state and the SEZ developers have to mutually sort it out.
The verdict of the Goa High Court on the complaints filed by the affected SEZs, expected on June 17, will also shed light on the future course of action by the state government . ���The notified SEZ issue is over with the Government of India,��� commerce secretary Gopal K Pillai said. The Centre is, however, hopeful that the matter will be settled by July.
The Goa government had decided on December 31, 2007, to scrap all SEZs in the state following widespread protests against the zones. It had by then already notified three SEZs to be developed by Cipla, Raheja and Peninsula and formally approved four SEZs. The state government then approached the Centre to denotify the three SEZs and cancel the approvals of the other SEZs.
The developers of the notified SEZs lodged cases against the proposed denotification on the ground they had already invested and the preparations for setting up the zones had been made after receiving proper clearance from the government.
According to government sources, the Goa government had not sent a single communication to the affected developers on the proposed denotification. ���They want us to denotify the zones without holding discussions on the issue. This is impossible as there are so many issues which need to be sorted out between the state and the developers ,��� the source said.
For instance, six of the seven SEZs notified and formally approved SEZs are on leased land, for which the lease money has been already paid for the next year as well. ���Not only does the state have to return that money, the investments made by the developers have to be also compensated for. This can happen only when the state holds discussions with the states,��� the source added.
The verdict of the Goa High Court on the complaints filed by the affected SEZs, expected on June 17, will also shed light on the future course of action by the state government . ���The notified SEZ issue is over with the Government of India,��� commerce secretary Gopal K Pillai said. The Centre is, however, hopeful that the matter will be settled by July.
The Goa government had decided on December 31, 2007, to scrap all SEZs in the state following widespread protests against the zones. It had by then already notified three SEZs to be developed by Cipla, Raheja and Peninsula and formally approved four SEZs. The state government then approached the Centre to denotify the three SEZs and cancel the approvals of the other SEZs.
The developers of the notified SEZs lodged cases against the proposed denotification on the ground they had already invested and the preparations for setting up the zones had been made after receiving proper clearance from the government.
According to government sources, the Goa government had not sent a single communication to the affected developers on the proposed denotification. ���They want us to denotify the zones without holding discussions on the issue. This is impossible as there are so many issues which need to be sorted out between the state and the developers ,��� the source said.
For instance, six of the seven SEZs notified and formally approved SEZs are on leased land, for which the lease money has been already paid for the next year as well. ���Not only does the state have to return that money, the investments made by the developers have to be also compensated for. This can happen only when the state holds discussions with the states,��� the source added.
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