Oppn MLAs stand firm against IPB Bill at House panel meet

PANAJI  
The select committee of the Goa legislative assembly on The Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation of Single Window Clearance (Amendment) Bill, 2024, met on Wednesday afternoon but there was no evidence of the ice being broken.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Opposition MLAs who are members of the committee headed by Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho, stood their ground firmly in opposing the bill much in the same fashion as they did in the House which forced the government to concede the demand to refer it to a select committee.

Vijai Sardesai, Carlos Alvares Ferreira, Venzy Viegas and Viresh Borkar are the Opposition MLAs on the panel. Others include Ganesh Gaonkar, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco and Krishna (Daji) Salkar, besides Godinho who as per protocol, heads it.

Emerging from the meeting, Viegas told the media that they will continue opposing the bill as it undermines the authority of local bodies besides other departments like TCP and panchayats.

He said, that the bill grants unprecedented power to the IPB.

“It strips power from local bodies and hands it over to the IPB. It completely sidelines the panchayats, GIDC, TCP and several other departments,” Viegas said while speaking to the media after the meeting.

“If a panchayat rejects, the bill allows the IPB to override that decision. The IPB can direct the panchayats to approve it,” he said.

Viegas said that it could pose risks to the environment arguing that it permits exploitation of eco-sensitive areas for industrial purposes.

“The bill creates loopholes for the destruction of hills and fields,” Viegas said, adding that there is nothing in the legislation to give clarity on the jurisdiction of local bodies with regard to taxation.

Salkar, who is a member of the panel from the ruling side, claimed that recommendations which focus on powers and revenue distribution among different government agencies and local bodies were made in the meeting.

He however added: “We need to ensure that these amendments are thoroughly reviewed to balance the IPB’s authority with local governance structures.”

The bill proposing to amend the IPB law was one among several bills that the Opposition, despite their feeble numbers, was able to pressurise the government to either withdraw or refer to select committees after they had been introduced in the House during the July-August monsoon session.

This rare achievement for an outnumbered Opposition had caused some consternation in the Pramod Sawant cabinet leading to ministers trading barbs and indulging in a bout of blame game for the debacle of sorts.

The bill had been introduced by Godinho but when it came up for consideration and passing, he was indisposed and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who stepped in his shoes faced stiff resistance from the spirited Opposition which flagged the provision in the bill which sought to create a Planning, Development and Construction Committee of the IPB headed by the Chief Secretary with sweeping powers above all other statutory authorities and any State law, including the TCP Act, Land Revenue Code and other land laws.

Sensing the mood of the Opposition MLAs and taking note of their objections, Sawant had agreed to refer it to the select committee.