By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala government is planning to forward eight applications for the establishment of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) to the centre, an official said here Tuesday.
The state already has one SEZ at Kochi, and 11 approved and two approved in principle zones.
Speaking to reporters here, State Industries Minister Elamram Kareem denied reports that there had been a difference of opinion between Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and himself over the delay in clearing 17 pending applications.
“Of the pending applications, we found that only eight have acquired the land and the rest are in the process of buying land. So we have more or less decided that we will forward the applications of the eight who have land to the centre,” said Kareem.
“The SEZs whose applications are likely to be forwarded include those for IT, bio-technology and electronics,” he added.
In the past month, opposition leader Oommen Chandy had lashed out at the government for holding back the applications for SEZs.