------------------------------------------------------------------- Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your family members, relatives, neighbours and friends. Help others be BETTER INFORMED, The time is come for the people of Goa to ORGANISE not AGONISE !! ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum calls for White Paper on the functioning of the Cuncolim Industrial Estate ------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum (CCCF) has called for a White Paper to be prepared by the Govt. of Goa on the functioning of the Cuncolim Industrial Estate before the forthcoming Assembly elections so as to put to rest the fears and apprehension in the minds of the villagers on whether the Industrial Units in the Cuncolim Industrial Estate are viable and necessary or have now become redundant in relation to Industrial growth and the potential for employment.
The Consumer Forum has also called for the takeover of the Cuncolim Industrial Estate by the Cuncolim Municipal Council (CMC) from the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) in view of its failure to control the Industrial Units from indulging in air and water pollution, indiscriminate garbage dumping, poor sanitary and hygienic conditions, violation of labour laws and creating a condition of insecurity in the locality. In a letter to the Chairperson of the Cuncolim Municipal Council, Mr. Filonio C. Vaz, the Consumer Forum has demanded that the Council immediately convenes a special meeting of the residents of the village to discuss the various issues arising out of the inaction of the GIDC and the implications of the removal of the Industrial Estate area from the jurisdiction of the Council. It may be noted that the Cuncolim Municipal Council had jurisdiction over the Cuncolim Industrial Estate for the purpose of taxation, inspection of violations, issuing of show cause notices, conducting hearings of affected parties and withdrawal of licences and NOCs granted to the units therein. Subsequently, the Govt. of Goa in a gazetted notification withdrew the Industrial Estate from the jurisdiction of the Council the local self governing body and handed over the same to the GIDC. The Units in the Industrial Estate presently come under the purview of various Govt. of Goa Departments such as Industries, Labour, Inspectorate of Factories and Boilers, Directorate of Health Services, Electricity Dept. and Goa State Pollution Control Board for the purpose of renewal of licenses, grant of NOCs, regular inspections, testing of samples, preparation of reports, health check-ups, issue of show cause notices and taking punitive action for the various violations. These Industrial Units were granted licences by the Industries Department with a view to generate Industrial growth and employment potential and for which these Units were provided land, received various incentives, subsidies and tax benefits with an effort to set up shop in Goa. Some of the Units in this Estate who have taken loans from the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and being unable to repay the same are presently being listed for auction through various Newspapers. The Consumer Forum has further brought to the notice of the Chairperson of the CMC that the present activities carried out in the Industrial Estate require to be supervised by the local self-governing body which is the Municipal Council and the present situation where in the CMC has been reduced to a silent observer is in total violation of the 74th amendment of the Constitution of India. The Consumer Forum has further pointed out that all the competent authorities under the various Central Acts & Goa legislations who have the responsibility and the mandate to conduct inspections, issue show cause notices and monitor all violations are all located in the Capital city of Panaji. The fact that the local Municipal Council has no ability to intervene in the present context has made mockery of the concept of local self governance and fuelled the massive irregularities presently found being carried out in the Cuncolim Industrial Estate. The Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum has forwarded copies of its letter to the CMC Chairperson to Mr.S.C. Jamir, Governor of Goa, Mr. Pratapsingh Rane, Chief Minister of Goa, Mr. Joaquim Alemao, Minister for Urban Development & Labour, Dr. Wilfred de Souza, Minister for Environment, Mr. Luizinho Faleiro, Industries Minister, Mr. Dayanand Narvekar, Minister of Health, Mr. Manohar Parrikar Leader of the Opposition, Goa Legislative Assembly. Copies have also been sent to the Chief Secretary, Govt. of Goa, Director Industries Dept., Labour Commissioner, Chief Inspector, Inspectorate of Factories & Boilers, Director, Health Services , Chairman, Goa State Pollution Control Board, Director, Dept. Environment, Director, Municipal Administration, Director General of Police, Central Pollution Control Board and Ministry of Environment and Forest, New Delhi among others. -------------------------------------------------------- Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum - Press Release E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK ----------------------------------------------------------- promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa ----------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601 GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507 mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
