Seven months after the stone was laid at the site of the proposed Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) park in Virnoda, Tuem, there is still a lull in the area. Nothing much has been done, apart from work on an approach road to the area.
Until now, the detailed project report is still being made. But there are still questions as to how the park will function and when it will come up. The information and communication technology industry is vast but a viable industry. Electronic system design and manufacturing is one of the fastest growing sectors of this industry and the time to take advantage of opportunities is now. But, for that, the government of Goa has to be proactive. It has only
been seven months, so perhaps a few things can be forgiven
but there has to be a large picture visible here other than just
the building of the park.
A government builds zones like
this, or industrial estates to further
the economic outlook of the neighbouring
regions.
When the detailed project report
does come out, there will be a timeline
in place for many things - the
building of the park, the inviting of
companies to come and invest here,
as well as a plan to improve on the
economic conditions of the local
community by creating jobs. In most skill based jobs like manufacturing,
the period for study is a minimum of two years. If
there are graduates to be churned out at the local ITI or from
the nearby colleges, with skillsets to match those required
by the ESDM industry, then the time to plan and implement
would be now.
Jobs are just one aspect of this. In fact, jobs are in many ways
a future plan. The immediate issue is that of making the ESDM
park viable for industries to want to invest there. Is there adequate
transport infrastructure? What are the facilities to be
provided? Will it be a plug and play model? By now, there
should have been some sort of planning framework in place,
the lack of which should be alarming.
Seven months is a short span of time, but in the scheme of
things, when it comes to an industry like this, seven months
can be a lifetime. The government of Goa needs to speed things
up in order to adequately take advantage of a growing industry
like this. In the metros, industrial areas can be planned in
a matter of months, and built as quickly as they can too. It’s all
about properly ‘exploiting’ a growing industry.
Goa needs to get its act together and focus on the state’s
economic growth. At the same time, it also has to ensure that
everything is in place to improve on education, jobs, connectivity
and more in the sector.
With their backs to the wall, the government built the infrastructure
for the Lusofonia Games with lightening speed. Of
course, there is more quality control required here but perhaps
there is a need for some of that gumption when it comes to
planning and building the ESDM park in Tuem.
