Meditab Specialties Pvt Ltd SEZ in Keri

PANJIM: Meditab Specialties Pvt Ltd, which has been allotted land at Keri, Ponda, for setting up Pharma park/SEZ has approached the High Court of Bombay at Goa, stating that the Chief Secretary has threatened them.

MSPL has submitted that in view of the threat of the Chief Secretary, they are compelled to approach the Court by way of the present petition as they have invested huge sums of money.

They have further submitted that contrary to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat's statement on December 8, 2007 that MSPL has voluntarily stopped the work, they have not voluntarily stopped work but forced to do so by the Ponda Deputy Collector and Ponda PI and they desire to continue the work as they are duly authorized to do so.

It is alleged that on December 8, 2007, the Chief Secretary JP Singh in a "very high handed manner" instead of supporting them, orally instructed them to stop the work voluntarily and threatened that if the work is not stopped, the police will not protect the petitioner's workers, its machinery etc.

This instruction was given to the petitioner by the CS when MSPL officials met the CS to apprise him of the situation and to inform him that a mob of people had entered their property and tried to vandalize it on December7, 2007, even as the Ponda deputy Collector and Ponda PI who came to the site, supported the unlawful assembly and instructed the MSPL to stop the construction/ development activities. Incidentally, no order was served to the petitioner under any law for stoppage of the work.

The petitioner wanted to know whether the state government is entitled to stop them working at its duly authorized site at Keri, Ponda and whether the state government can refuse police protection to them for conducting its activities after they have got all necessary permissions and is duly legal. The state of Goa through the Chief Secretary, the Chief Secretary JP Singh, Secretary (Home), GIDC, GSPCB, Ponda Deputy Collector and Ponda PI have been made respondents in the petition.

MSPL was allotted 12,32,000 sq mts land by Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) on April 28, 2006 and a year later, on April 10, 2007, the Development Commissioner, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, GoI notified the area as SEZ for sector specific industries – pharmaceutical industries. By May 2007, the petitioner starts the development activities in the SEZ area and incurs crores of rupees expenditure in developing the SEZ area.

In May 2007, MSPL allots two plots of land to M/s Cipla Ltd to set up its units for manufacturing aerosol. The said units also get permission from Pollution Control Board for establishing its units.

However, trouble started from November 22, 2007, when a mob of about 20-25 people came to MSPL SEZ, threatened the security men and entered the leased area of the petitioner, wanting to inspect what was happening in the said area and to check whether there were any bore wells or tube wells constructed therein.