By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem Tuesday disputed Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh’s statement that the proposed Spices Park at Idukki would be shifted to some other state if Kerala failed to provide land for the project before Feb 13, 2008.
Ramesh made this statement at a press conference at Kochi Sunday.
Speaking to reporters here, Kareem said the whole concept of the proposed Spices Park was the state government’s.
“When we started discussing this, the Spices Board, which is under Ramesh’s ministry, agreed to partner with a 50-percent share. They would contribute Rs.100 million in setting up the infrastructure and that was all,” said Kareem.
“I agree that there has been a delay in acquiring land because we had to take 100 acres in Nedungandam in Idukki. Now we are in the final stages of acquiring land,” said Kareem.
Already, three private companies in the state have expressed interest in investing in the park, he said.
The Spices Park is proposed to be set up in Nedungandam and Thodupuzha on 100 acres of land at each location.
“The Nedungandam park would be basically a spices collection centre. The other centre in Thodupuzha would be a full-fledged processing centre. We expect that the land would be acquired in six months,” the Kerala industries minister said.
“The question that the Spices Park would be lost to Kerala does not arise at all,” he added.