Industry representatives from Goa have drawn the Planning Commission’s attention to the pressing need of the state to set up its own power generation plants to meet the burgeoning demand and speed up growth.

The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) made a presentation to the members of the Planning Commission in Mumbai on Tuesday. The chamber stressed upon issues like electricity, water supply and roads, in the state, among other things.

The GCCI said the state needs to set up its own power generation plants to meet the electricity requirement of the industry.

“Once the gas pipeline of Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) is connected to Goa, we should be able to generate power, which will reduce our dependence on grids,” the GCCI President, Mr Manguirish Pai Raiker, said during the presentation.

The chamber said Goa cannot keep on depending on other states to meet its power requirement. “Some day, we have to have our plant,” Mr Raiker said.

It also drew the attention of the commission towards water supply facilities for industrial units. The GCCI President suggested that a separate pipeline carrying raw water for industrial estates should be laid.

Other infrastructure projects like the North-Goa Road Corridor, mining corridors, completion of airport at Mopa and dredging of the port were also recommended during the presentation.

Mr Raiker said there are several ships that could not enter the port limits, because the basins are not dredged.

The GCCI has also suggested the development of a cluster for cashew processing and pharma industries in the state.

He said Goa needs to create employment opportunities for the younger generation. “The stress should be on manufacturing, trading, tourism and the services industry,” Mr Raiker added.

Other than Goa, the Planning Commission met the representatives of states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as a part of an ‘Approach Paper for 12th Five-Year Plan’ in Mumbai.

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