The Goa government on Monday said it will not compensate the developers of special economic zone (SEZ) in the state except refunding their money, which they had invested in the land.
"Out of three SEZs only one has done some work. We will give back all the developers only the money which they had invested in buying the land as we are taking the land back from them," State Chief Minister Digamber Kamat said.
Goa has scrapped 12 SEZs while three are pending de-notification with union commerce ministry.
The state government on Thursday received a set back when union commerce ministry's board of approval extended time limit for one of the developers to complete his project. The BoA's decision came in stark contradiction to state government's stand that they don't want any SEZs in the state.
Kamat said that he would soon meet Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and brief him on the issue. Former Union commerce minister Kamal Nath had assured that the SEZs would not be thrust on Goan people. Even United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi had assured that if people don't want, there should not be any SEZ in Goa, Kamat said.
The chief minister said that the SEZ developers during one of heir meetings in past had conceded that they cannot start functioning without the support of state government.
The state government's stand is very clear that we don't want SEZs, he said.
Meanwhile, Goa's Rajya Sabha member Shantaram Naik has said that newly appointed commerce minister Anand Sharma has given positive signals to him in the matter of denotifying three SEZs.
In Delhi, Naik told Sharma that three units would have, by now, been denotified but were held due to general elections.
Naik said that Sharma has advised him to ask Digamber Kamat to send a fresh letter addressed to him giving details of the demand of the state government.
Sharma reportedly gave sufficient indications to Naik that he will do the needful in the matter in accordance with the wishes of the people.
