The Goa government has decided to scrap all the 12 exclusive economic zones and recommended to the Centre the denotification of three zones.

“We have come to this conclusion after a lot of deliberations. We will write to the Centre to scrap eight proposals pending for approval with them while we will not notify four which are already approved. About the rest three, we will take up the matter with Centre to denotify them,” Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat told reporters.

Kamat had a marathon deliberation with political parties and the cabinet committee on infrastructure on Monday evening. Goa had proposals for 15 SEZs, of which seven were approved envisaging an investment of Rs 4,714.04 crores over the next five years. The Chief Minister, while announcing that the state has decided to do away with these SEZs, refused to say if Goa will say no to any SEZ in future.

“Here the issue was people’s objections and quantum of land required for these projects. In future, we will consider these aspects while processing any proposals,” Kamat said.

Besides, political parties including NCP, BJP and Shiv Sena, two prominent organisations - SEZ Virodhi Manch and Goa’s Movement Against SEZs (GMAS) - had lodged protests against the SEZ demanding scrapping of these enclaves.

Ruling Congress, which had initially supported three SEZs in the state, at the last minute joined the anti-SEZ bandwagon pressing for their scrapping. The last nail on SEZs coffin was hit by Goa government-appointed task force, headed by the Chief Minister himself, which termed SEZs as “detrimental to the state”.

The controversy over SEZs saw the state government facing a tough time last week with anti-SEZ protestors intensifying their movement.

Anti-SEZ organisations on Monday reacted with caution to the state government’s decision to scrap SEZs.  “Our fight will not end till the remaining three SEZs are denotified,” GMAS convenor and former tourism minister Mathany Saldanha.

“We are not opposed to industrialisation, if it is done considering Goa’s demographic structure, job opportunities available and stress on infrastructure,” Saldanha said.