13 years on, ACB to log more witness statements in SEZ land allotment case

Panaji: Even after investigating for 13 years, the anti-corruption branch (ACB) of the vigilance department has decided to record more statements from witnesses in connection with the controversial allotment of land for special economic zones (SEZ).“More statements of witnesses are to be recorded and a fresh status report is to be obtained from the complainant. The allottees of land approached Supreme Court challenging the cancellation of allotment by the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), and the matter is pending before the court,” chief minister Pramod Sawant said.In 2012, the ACB registered a first information report (FIR) based on a complaint by the GIDC’s then deputy general manager (law), Mandar Shirodkar, on the “arbitrary and illegal allotment of land” to seven parties for SEZs.A senior officer said that the case is still “under investigation”.The complaint states that the allotment was done by hatching a criminal conspiracy, and involved manipulation of documents, cheating govt and causing loss to the exchequer in connivance with some “GIDC officials and other unknown private/public servants”.The ACB, in the FIR, mentioned the names of seven companies — Meditab Specialities Pvt Ltd, Peninsular Pharma Research Centre Pvt Ltd, K Raheja Corporation Pvt Ltd, Paradigm Logistic and Distribution Pvt Ltd, Inox Mercantile Co Pvt Ltd, Planet View Mercantile Co Pvt Ltd, and Maxgrow Finlease Pvt Ltd — which were allotted land during 2006-07.The FIR also mentioned unidentified officials of the GIDC, a govt of Goa undertaking, an unidentified private person, and a public servant. When BJP was in the opposition, it supported a people’s agitation against SEZs and even made the issue its main focus during the 2007 South Goa Lok Sabha bypoll.The then chief minister, Digambar Kamat, scrapped the SEZs after bowing to locals’ demands, despite reactions from the industry.In Aug 2016, then chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar assured the state assembly that the ACB would be asked to expedite the investigation and submit the report. When he was the opposition leader, former chief minister Manohar Parrikar alleged that SEZ allotments were a major fraud and that those responsible should be taken to task.The SEZ issue also figured in the monsoon session of the assembly in 2016, and BJP MLAs demanded action against those responsible for the “scam”.