Assembly elections in three states may delay fresh clearances to the politically sensitive special economic zones (SEZ), though 41 of them including those promoted by Tata, Infosys and Wipro were up for notification with potential investment of Rs 40,000 crore."Any decision to allow more SEZs can be taken only after the completion of election process in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur," highly placed government sources said.They said with the politicisation of the SEZs the government would not like to give a handle to the opposition parties.Sources said the next meeting of the empowered group of ministers (eGoM) may not take place before mid-March, by when the elections would be completed.The eGoM headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee met on January 22 and decided to keep in abeyance, fresh clearances, till critical issues like land and rehabilitation are resolved.The rural development ministry is understood to be ready with a Cabinet note on the rehabilitation policy, which may include jobs to the displaced farmers.
