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LDF meet on SEZs to be advanced

C. Gouridasan Nair

Centre indicates that the State’s proposals must reach it by October 1

CPI to formulate its position on September 18
LDF leadership may meet soon after that

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The meeting of the State committee of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) proposed to be held on September 29 is being advanced to facilitate an early discussion on the proposal to set up a string of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the State.

A sense of urgency has come into the whole process with the Centre indicating that the State’s proposals for setting up SEZs must reach it by October 1. With the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau issuing the general guidelines to be followed when taking a decision in the matter, the party State leadership is ready to take up the issue, which has been hanging fire for nearly a year now.

The CPI(M) leadership had wanted the meeting to be held immediately, but this proposal was not acceptable to the CPI, which is yet to make up its mind on the SEZs. The party was supposed to have discussed the issue threadbare at the meeting of the party State executive which met here last week, but could not do so as party State secretary Veliyam Bhargavan could not attend the meeting. The CPI executive is now scheduled to meet on September 18. This will imply that the LDF State committee will be able to meet only after that date.

In that case, the LDF leadership will meet immediately thereafter so that there will be enough time to go through the administrative measures necessary to submit the proposals to the Centre. The committee of officials constituted to look into the proposals received by the State government had cleared 11 proposals on the basis of various selection criteria. However, a decision remained pending what with Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan raising some questions relating to land utilisation, product profile and ‘sweat equity’ and the CPI delaying its proposals.

The main concern of the CPI relates to the labour rights within the SEZs. The party does not want the SEZs to become industrial enclaves where labour laws will not apply. The party is yet to make known its position on other questions, but is now more or less inclined to accept the position that the State must have SEZs, though of smaller sizes with a specific enactment to protect the rights of the workers and the interests of the State.

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