Centre can denotify
SEZ: Kamal Nath
Agencies, New Delhi
4 January 2008
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath on Thursday
said the Centre had the right to de-notify a Special Economic
Zone (SEZ).
“There are provisions in the SEZ Act for review of the
notified zones,” he told journalists after meeting Goa
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat here.
Mr. Nath said the Centre could review all SEZs in Goa, including
those notified. “We do not want to thrust SEZs on the
States. After receiving requests from the Goa government,
we will take appropriate action.”
Mr. Kamat called on Mr. Nath seeking cancellation of all
15 SEZs in the State, including the three notified, following
protests. “We will send a formal request [for cancellation
of SEZs] within the next two to three days.”
On Wednesday, Union Commerce Secretary G.K. Pillai said that
a notified SEZ, which was a legal entity, could not be de-notified.
However, those proposals, which were under various stages
of approval, could be withdrawn or cancelled based on the
recommendations of the State governments.
Mr. Kamat expressed “satisfaction” after his meeting
with Mr. Nath. “I am satisfied with the Minister’s
assurance. Our position is that if Goans don’t want SEZs;
SEZs won’t come to Goa,” he told journalists at
the Congress headquarters here.
Asked about the legal/financial ramifications of scrapping
the notified SEZs, he said: “I see no ramifications.
Which company will go against the people? I am not going to
fight their battle. They should have convinced the people
first.”
To a question whether he sought a review of the SEZ policy,
he said Goa was not like other States. “It is amongst
the first five international tourist destinations. We have
a limitation on industrialisation. The government doesn’t
hold much land. The land belongs to communities, and this
Congress government will not go against the wishes of the
people.”
Indicating that the local people felt there was scarcity
of land and the land that had been acquired for the SEZs was
at “dirt cheap rates,” he said people should have
been explained the basic concept of SEZs and their advantages
to Goa and the Goans. “No such exercise was done.”
Mr. Kamat said he had brought the controversy to the notice
of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia
Gandhi. The latter advised him “not to go against the
wishes of people,” he said.
Opposition consulted
The Chief Minister said the State Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure,
Congress Committee, the Goa PCC, NGOs, coalition partners
and opposition Bhartiya Janata Party were consulted.
“After taking into consideration all the views, it
was decided that the SEZs proposals were not conducive for
Goa.” On the implication of the Goa decision on National
SEZ Policy, Mr. Kamat said,
“I can only talk about Goa. I am too small to talk about
other States.”
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