OGP opposes SEZ status to industries in Orissa

Bhubaneswar, Oct 30 (UNI) The Orissa Gana Parishad (OGP) today urged the state government to check huge revenue loss and refrain from issuing final notification on Special Economy Zone(SEZ) status to the industrial houses .

Orissa would incur heavy revenue loss of thousands of crores if the SEZ status approved by the Centre was cleared by the state government, OGP president Bijaya Mohapatra told a news conference here.

He alleged that over 20,000 hectares of agricultural land in the state would be taken over in the name of establishing the SEZ to promote the interest of the business houses including the multinationals.

Mr Mohapatra said the centre had approved 9 SEZ on the basis of recommendation of the state government, while three such cases were pending for approval.

The state government, he demanded, should come out with clear picture about the total revenue loss the state would bear in the event of the SEZ status given to the private business houses in the name of industrialisation.

The OGP president said Orissa would lose a revenue of Rs 20,315 crore in 30 years in the SEZ status given to the POSCO India for its steel project in Paradip and Rs 700 crore in case of Jindal Steel.

Similarly, the SEZ status to HINDALCO and Vedant Alumina Limited (VAL) would lead to a revenue loss of nearly Rs 10,000 crore in 15 years.

Mr Mohapatra said when the Public sector NALCO and Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited(NINL)were not granted SEZ status, there was no justification why the facility would be extended to HINDALCO and the VAL.

The public sector NALCO, he said, had given Rs 400 crore as excise duty last year.

He said the OGP would fight the ''mindless land grabbing agenda of the Naveen Patnaik government in the name of establishing SEZ to promote the interests industrial houses and warned that such ''irrational'' initiative would trigger social strife in the state.

South Korean Steel major POSCO, Jindal Stainless Steel Limited, Hindalco, VAL, DLF limited, Gremach Infrastructure Limited and Orissa's state run IDCO had been given the facilities of SEZ status.

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