November 14, 2007
PRESS RELEASE
A delegation led by Fr. Maverick Fernandes of Council for Social Justice &
Peace and Charles Fernandes, co-convenor of Sez Virodhi Manch, called on DGP
Ujjwal Mishra to enquire about the status of the FIR filed against GIDC in
regard to the manner in which industrial land in Phase IV of Verna
Industrial Estate was allocated to SEZ developers, since the concerned local
police stations have passed the complaint on to police headquarters.
The SEZ Virodhi Manch intends to pursue the FIR filed against GIDC very
seriously indeed, since it is now apparent that GIDC's functioning has been
characterised by a total disregard and disrespect for the spirit and letter
of rules and procedures - both in terms of acquisition of land, when the
"urgency" and "for public interest" clauses are invoked needlessly as well
as in the allocation of land, which is acquired by them for one purpose and
handed over to private developers for yet another purpose.
The Regional Plan 2011 imbroglio, will continue to haunt Goa and Goans,
until bodies like GIDC are held accountable for the damage they have
inflicted upon the state by their actions, and disbanded if need be. In
fact, the SEZ controversy, is just RP 2011, magnified manifold.
Statutory bodies like GIDC are entrusted with the handling of large tracts
of public land. When they do not function with transparency and sincerity,
adhering scrupulously to rules and procedures, then they cause huge losses
to the public exchequer and callously fritter away precious land, which is a
collective asset and resource of the Goan community. Therefore, the people
have a right to know the truth about the functioning of GIDC.
DGP Ujjwal Mishra assured the delegation that he would personally examine
the FIR within a time frame of four days.
For PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT AGAINST SEZS
sd/-
Charles Fernandes,
Convenor
