Confidence levels of business community at all-time low as mining shuts down
Goa is getting increasingly closed for business. The miningshutdown has a ripple effect with industry confidence at all time low. This isreal. Industry clearly feels that any amount of sugar coating won’t sweeten theimpact of the current hit business has taken.
On June 30, earlier this year Chief Minister ManoharParrikar in an interaction with Goa Investment Forum 2012 said, “Two things Ican assure for the investors, that is, single window clearance and transparencyfrom the government side. We will make sure that all the industry-relatedpolicies would be in place by August end.”
While representatives from big names including Essel World,Accenture, Tech Mahindra, Wipro, Nestle, Bosch and Ranbaxy showed renewedinterest in Goa, traditional bottleneck of unavailability of land wasforgotten.
Even the notorious political instability of the State wasforgotten. Almost.
Till the closure of mines in the State delivered a body blow to the state’s businessclimate. The fear, the other industry shared was that sooner or later theimpact would be affecting them too.
“It’s a sorry state of affairs as mining has been the back boneof the Goan economy since 1960. It gave direct and indirect employment to alarge number of people. With the ban the fate of many remain unknown,” saidMangurish Pai Raikar, President of Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He further added that GCCI was still waiting for thegovernment’s industrial policy. “In the absence of an industrial policy noindustries will invest in the State. At the moment only pharmaceutical andengineering are doing well,” he said.
People in tourism sector also fear that due to closure ofmines tourism industry could be affected. “We fear people may come on thestreets especially during IFFI, which will bring a bad name for the State. Thiswill give a negative image about the State and it may take years for thegovernment bring the image back,” said Lyndon Alves, Secretary of Travel andTour Association of Goa.
With current state of economy there are assumptions thatmany companies might move out of Goa. “There are many big industries which areplanning to move out of Goa. Dempos are already relocating and establishingbusinesses in other states. Presently the business scenario is precarious andif timely action is not taken then more industries may leave the State,” saidRaikar warned.
For Goa’s industrial climate, the symbiosis with mining istoo intricate. The effect shows.
