Singapore is keen to set up a special economic zone in India, but also voiced an understanding that the acquisition of large tracts of land was a sensitive issue in the South Asian country, unlike in China. “I had proposed the idea of having a special economic zone with India to Premier Manmohan Singh two years ago and he was very enthusiastic about the idea,” senior Singapore Minister Goh Chok Tong told the Prawasi Bharatiya Diwas, a conclave of more than 800 members of the Indian diaspora from 20 countries. Widely credited to be the man behind the “India fever” in Singapore, Goh said at a special session on “Personal Reflections on India” that he knew there had been problems in acquiring large areas of land required to set up an SEZ.

Comparing the condition with a “different system” in China, the former premier said his project for setting up an “Eco City” in April last year in China was expedited by the authorities and land was soon acquired. “In China because of a different system, things can move much faster,” Goh said, adding, “We are still interested and are still looking for that piece of land in India”. The senior minister also said the city state was open to entering into infrastructure projects in India in partnership with Malaysia. His response came to a query from Samy Vellu, the president of the Malaysia Indian Congress (MIC), who asked if Singapore would be keen to take up infrastructure projects in India along with Malaysia by pooling talents from both neighbouring countries

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