Allotments of unutilised plots at Tuem EMC face cancellation

Panaji: The state government will begin cancelling the land allotments of companies that were granted plots in the Tuem Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) but have failed to commence construction so far, IT Minister Rohan Khaunte said on Monday.

“Companies that were allotted land in the EMC project were required to begin construction within two years. While some have started developing infrastructure, those that have not undertaken any work on their plots will have their allotments cancelled,” Khaunte said after the 11th empowered committee meeting of the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (DITE&C).

He said the government has authorised the IT Department to reclaim land from tardy allottees, and the process of revoking their allotments has already been initiated.

Spread over 5.97 lakh square metres, the EMC project is expected to generate around 2,000 to 3,000 jobs over the next three to five years. The project comprises 50 plots, of which about 50 per cent have been allotted through auctions to companies in the defence sector, new-age industries and other businesses.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant chaired the empowered committee meeting and reviewed presentations made by 15 startups seeking seed funding under the capital grant scheme of the Goa IT policy.

The committee also approved grants of Rs 10 lakh each to four colleges with incubation centres — Government College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Quepem; Goa Engineering College, Farmagudi; Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts and Science; and Dhempe College of Arts and Science, Panaji.

Goa currently has 803 startups recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). These startups operate in sectors such as food and beverages, fintech, medtech and artificial intelligence.

“Success stories among Goan startups are gradually emerging. The state has one unicorn, Molbio Diagnostics, and promising startups such as Spintly and ContractZee, which are making their mark globally,” Khaunte said.

He added that Goan startups possess the talent and capability to build globally competitive enterprises and that the state’s startup ecosystem has matured, creating an environment that can produce more success stories.