Daijiworld Media Network - Goa (MR)
By Our Special Correspondent

Panaji, Aug 21: K Raheja corp, India's leading special economic zone (SEZ) developer, has decided to initiate confidence building measures with the Goan population educating them about their non-polluting project beneficial to the local population.

Raheja's IT SEZ planned at Verna industrial estate faced stern opposition from the locals and state government even after it was notified by the union commerce ministry's board of approval.

The state government has written to the union commerce ministry seeking to denotify Raheja's SEZ along with two others.

"We are here to educate people of Goa regarding our project. It is not bad for Goa as it will have BPOs, KPOs, call centres and other units which will employ local youths," Shabbir Kanchwala, vice president (Project-Coordination), K Raheja Corp, stated.

The anti-SEZ agitators this week had mobbed Raheja's staff at the site forcing them labourers to move out from this project site where according to the company Rs 192 crore have been invested.

The company officials have decided to initiate dialogue with the Goan prominent citizens, media, policy makers and even the protestors weeding out `misconceptions' about their projects. "People are misinformed about our project. We will put across to the people how the project will benefit the local population," he said.

"The project will be the best in the world and will not burden the state infrastructure. WE will have captive power plant within the place and also will sewerage treatment plant besides rain harvesting," Kanchwala said.

He said the project would stop the braindrain from the state especially of the young IT professionals who have to migrate to the other states. "We will generate 5,000 jobs for the first year and in phases, the employment will increase up to 25,000," the vice president said.

The company which plans its SEZs at eleven places including Ahmadabad, Navi Mumbai, Hyderbad, Baroda besides others, feels that the Goa is an attractive destination for the IT projects.

He said that the Goa project will have companies like Ocwen, 3G, CFC international setting up their shops here providing huge job opportunities to the locals.

K Raheja Corp, which is fighting a case against the Goa Industrial development corporation's show cause notice to revoke the land allotted to them at the industrial estate, has said that the company has invested huge time and money in the project.

Kanchwala, when questioned refused to comment on whether the company would shift from Goa, if the state government provides them the compensation.