Employ Goans, stop acquiring lands for SEZs in Goa: NCP

Panaji, Nov 12 (UNI) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) General Secretary Surendra Furtado has said the Government should prove its commitment to Goans by fulfilling the criteria of 90 per cent jobs for locals in existing industries before throwing the bait of ''lakhs of jobs'' in the proposed Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the state.

Calling for an immediate survey of the employment pattern in the existing industries, Mr Furtado sought suspension of all acquisition of land and works being executed for setting up the SEZs.

Industries often deliberately advertise job vacancies in out-station newspapers because they find that immigrants are ready to work for any salary, he said in a press release here today.

Stating that Goans have been cheated on the promise of jobs for every project entailing usurping of land, he said there had been intense pressure on land and the government had ''shamelessly exaggerated'' about jobs in the guise of getting the mandate of the people for these SEZs.

Mr Furtado said measely jobs offered in industries set up in Goa, were no longer an attraction for the locals and therefore, urged the government to stop the tomfoolery of more and mor jobs.

He challenged the government to list out the number of Goans by birth employed in various industries and even the Konkan Railway Corporation for which fertile Goan land was acquired for a pittance.

''Even in the media, employees are from north India and are the ones who go about trumpeting their influence not only with the police but the civic authorities in blatant violation of the law,'' Mr Furtado added.

UNI