Meditab Specialities Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of pharma major Cipla, has approached the Panjim Bench of the Bombay High Court challenging the Government of Goa’s instructions to stop work on its special economic zone at Keri, Ponda.

The company submitted in the court that it had not voluntarily suspended work on the project, but had been forced to do so on the verbal instructions of state’s chief secretary J P Singh and other authorities.
The petitioner maintained that on December 7 a mob of protestors had entered its property to vandalise it, but the deputy collector and the police supported the unlawful assembly and instructed the company to suspend work. The company asked the court if the state government is entitled to force it to stop work and refuse the company police protection when it has attained all the required clearances.

Stormy protests

Meditab was allotted over 12 lakh square metres by Goa State Industrial Development Corporation last year to set up the pharma SEZ. It started work on the project in May this year, and claimed that it has already spent crores of rupees on development.

Acceding to stormy public protests, the Government of Goa has put on hold all the seven SEZs cleared by the Centre and has setup a task force to review the projects. According to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, a decision on the SEZs would be taken by mid January 2008.