Goemkarponn desk
PORVORIM: Just 30% of the industrial projects approved by the Goa Investment Promotion Board (IPB) over the previous five years have been put into service, indicating delays in completion.
Data presented at the meeting indicates that during 2019, IPB approved 88 projects, of which only 25 were finished and operational.
According to Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho, “the projects that are commissioned have yielded 3,451 jobs to Goans”.
Data indicates that the reasons why investment projects don’t start on schedule include delayed plot allocation in industrial estates, insufficient infrastructure in newly built phases of industrial estates, and project proponents’ inability to start work for a variety of reasons.
A paper recycling facility in the Honda industrial estate, a pharma company’s hormone manufacturing plant in the Madkai industrial estate, and a proposed plant to manufacture ductile iron casting products in the Kundaim industrial estate are among the projects that have been approved by the IPB and given land by the GIDC but have been delayed because the promoter has not started construction.
According to the minister, the IPB assesses projects according to a number of factors, including alignment with the focus sectors, projected GST revenue to the state, and the possibility of creating jobs. Based on the results, the evaluation framework assigns a score.
The project proponent follows the procedure, submitting an online application for in-principle approval together with a request for plots in the industrial estate or with previously identified land.
After considering the project, IPB decides whether to accept or reject the proposal. After approval, the application is forwarded to the Directorate of Trade and Commerce, Industries, to start the notification process for the land as an Investment Promotion Area (IPA).
Technical approval for IPA projects is given following infrastructure verification that complies with TCP standards.
After receiving the application from the project proponent, the Planning Development Construction Committee (PDCC) further discusses and grants additional statutory clearances.
