CPI demands scrapping of SEZ Act itself ab initio

Panaji, Jan 3 (UNI) The State Committee of the CPI today demanded scrapping of the very Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 as it is ''unconstitutional and anti-national creating ghettos of exploitation with no law prevailing''.

''Do not get sucked into the vortex of the imperialistic designs woven through the SEZs which try to nationalise losses and privatise profits,'' the party leader and the state AITUC general secretary Christopher Fonseca, told mediapersons here.

The party, which organised the first massive rally against the SEZs in July last year, he said, would rally behind chief minister Digambar Kamat in his efforts at ''denotifying'' the SEZs in Goa.

''We can go to any extreme in supporting Mr Kamat who made a bold decision against establishment of SEZs which constitutes an empire within an empire with no labour law in force. The SEZs should go once and for all in the country,'' Mr Fonseca said.

At the same time, the CPI leader favoured massive industrialisation of Goa before the State plunged into economic crisis.

There was no other alternative to industrialisation with agriculture in doldrums, tourism recklessly unstable with involvement of international forces and mining about to disappear within ten years, he added.

UNI BM SR GL RN1853