Goa designates ONGC Quepem land for investment purposes

The Goa state cabinet has officially designated a 4.2 lakh square meter piece of land in Quepem as an Investment Promotion Area (IPA). This decision was made at the request of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). The area will host a convention center, an exhibition hall, and a management training facility for ONGC's Advanced Training Institute. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced the designation. The Goa Investment Promotion & Facilitation Board received an application from ONGC on June 25, 2024, for these developments in Quitol village, located in South Goa. The board recommended that the government prepare and declare the area as an IPA to encourage investment. The board held meetings on July 11 and October 9, 2024, where they approved the proposal. Following procedures outlined in the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Act, the government invited any objections to the project. People were given one month to submit their concerns in writing. A hearing was set up by the Managing Director of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation to address any objections, but no one attended. The government then decided there were no valid objections and instructed the industries department to proceed with declaring the area as an IPA.