Engines of growth are bulldozers of identity: Noneconomic implications of SEZ initiatives and people's response in Goa

Abstract

Different regions of the subcontinent reacted to the issue of formation of SEZs in ways specific to local aspirations, ideologies, and leadership. The present paper narrates people's perception and response to the SEZs in Goa. The paper reiterates the sociological wisdom that economic development is related to socio-cultural milieu and economic development is only one dimension of development. After an elucidation of the juncture at which the SEZs have been introduced in Goa, the paper describes the imposed structure o f the SEZ initiatives, the nature of land alienation and implications for the real estate enterprise. After examining the perception of SEZs as bulldozers of identity by the members of the civil society and the resultant de-notification of the SEZs in Goa, the paper attempts a sociological appraisal of the SEZ initiatives in general and the SEZ initiatives in Goa.