November 16, 2007
PRESS RELEASE
Reacting to GPCC President Francisco Sardinha's public statement that the
Government intends to constitute a core committee "comprising of some
ministers" to review the SEZs in the state, the SEZ Virodhi Manch, in a
press release here today, said that it was clear that the Government was on
slippery ground on the vexed SEZ issue coupled with the internal political
contradictions within the cabinet, that has compelled it to resort to the
classic time wasting ploy used by it in the past to defuse people's
movements.
Regarding the GPCC President's claim that the Congress party has taken the
views of the people, the SVM said that it is a matter of shame that the
Government did not think it necessary to set up a committee or even inform
the people before ushering the life changing SEZ policy for Goa. And even
before the setting up of this committee, the Congress has apparently made up
its mind that SEZs have come to stay in Goa as can be seen from the GPCC
President's statement "if people are opposed to big SEZs, Goa could have
smaller ones. SEZs are necessary for generating employment in the
tate" - this even as the Government has failed till today to conduct a
study on the employment generated by existing industrial estates for Goans
and the profile of the Goan workforce available.
And as for Mr. Sardinha's claim that the Congress party has always bowed to
the wishes of the people in the past, the SVM said that the people have
not forgotten the lack of will of the CM to fulfil his promise of removing
the controversial casino boat from the River Sal. It now appears, that this
was just an attempt to weaken the people's opposition, since the Captain of
Ports has gone on record to publicly state that his department has not even
received an application to move the controversial boat.
Since the Government has not seen fit to stop ongoing SEZ work at Keri and
Verna/Loutolim, it is abundantly clear that the Government has already come
to its decision even before the appointment of the Committee, which is
apparently only an attempt to hoodwink the people of Goa and lull them into
a false sense of complacency.
Regarding CM Digambar Kamat's often repeated lament that this is a problem
inherited from the previous Government, the SVM said that since the previous
Government was also a Congress government, it speaks volumes for the calibre
of the Congress Party in Goa, demonstrating that this party has neither a
collective and consistent vision for Goa, nor is willing to shoulder
collective responsibility for its sins of omission and commission.
Regarding the GPCC President's assurance that 80% employment for Goans would
be compulsory for SEZs, the SVM asked whether the state government has any
jurisdiction/authority that permits it to make such a sweeping claim, when
SEZs are autonomous bodies only subject to the Central Development
Commissioner and totally out of the purview of the state government.
The people are not willing to accept the Government's time wasting offer of
a Committee even as our water resources and environment are being ruthlessly
destroyed thanks to a Government that looks after vested interests rather
than the interests of the people of Goa. It is abundantly clear now, from
the GPCC President's statement, that the Government is inadequate and
incapable of rising to the challenges of looking after the interest of Goa
and Goans.
For SEZ VIRODHI MANCH
sd/-
Charles Fernandes,
Convenor
