By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Sagar (Madhya Pradesh): Stage is all set for the Bundelkhand Investors’ Meet being held here at Sagar on Friday (April 11).
After successfully holding a series of investors’ meet at Khajuraho, Indore and Jabalpur, the destination is now Sagar for the one-day Bundelkhand Investors’ Meet.
According to sources the investors’ meet is expected to witness signing of about 25 Memorandum of Understandings, (MoUs), worth more than Rs. 15,000 crore (about $3.763 billion). As Bundelkhand region is mineral rich with large deposits of iron, rock phosphates, diamonds, pyrophylites, granites, dolomites, limestone, sandstones and marble at Chhattarpur, Sagar, Tikamgarh, Damoh and Panna the areas of investment are likely to be in mineral-based projects, food processing, agro-based industries etc.
According to Praveen Garg, Managing Director Madhya Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation, (MPSIDC), several companies from eastern Indian state of West Bengal have shown keen interest this time in setting up of units in Bundelkhand region.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will inaugurate the investors’ meet while ACC Limited Managing Director Sumit Banerjee and former Governor of Mizoram & educationist A. R. Kohli will be the guests of honor on the occasion.
It may be mentioned here that prior to this, investors’ meet at Khajuraho, Indore and Jabalpur 18, 102 and 61 MoUs respectively were signed worth Rs. 39,000 crore (about $ 9.784 billion) , Rs. 120541 crore (about $30.13525 billion) and Rs. 56829 crore (about $14.207 billion) of proposed investments.
Meanwhile, industrial infrastructures would be developed in 464.30 hectare proposed area in four districts of Bundelkhand region. These infrastructures are proposed to be developed in the year 2008-09 and rest of the period of 11th Five-Year Plan. This information was given by Minister for Industries & Commerce Jayant Malaiya.
According to Malaiya in view of possible industrialization in the wake of establishment of Bina Refinery in Sagar district a new industrial area is proposed to be established in 20 hectare area in village Belai in Sagar district.
Similarly, possibilities of industrialization have increased in Deori in Sagar district as North-South Corridor National Highway would pass through it. Therefore, 165 hectare industrial area would be developed at village Chhabela in Deori Tahsil. Sagar district’s Khurai Tahasil is not only agriculture-based but also leads in production of agriculture equipment. Presently, 20 industrial units are manufacturing agricultural equipment in Khurai. Therefore, an agriculture equipment cluster is proposed to be set up in 27.94 hectare area in village Karampur of Khurai Tahasil.
Malaiya said that tomato, guava and green vegetables are grown in large quantity in Gharhakota Tahasil. Keeping this in view, food processing-based industrial area is proposed to be developed at Chanua village of Banda Tahasil in Sagar district. Stone is being mined and exported from Banda Tahasil of Sagar district. Under amended Industrial Promotion Policy-2004, the state government has proposed to set up a centre and cluster for processing of minor and major minerals. Granite Stone Park is proposed to be established in 18 hectare area in Banda Tahsil. A herbal park is also proposed to be set up in Sagar in 10 hectare area for setting up industries based on herbal and Ayurvedic products. Establishment of a testing lab is also proposed under the amended Industrial Policy. The state government would contribute 25 share to it.
Industries Minister Malaiya said that industrial infrastructures would be developed in 10 hectare area at Patharia in Damoh district and two hectare area in Hata. Wood Furniture Cluster would be established in 50 hectare area in Chandrapura village of Chhatarpur district and Granite Park would be set up in 55 hectare area in Chhatarpur city. He said that a Bell Metal Complex would be developed in 2.5 hectare area in Dhoga village of Tikamgarh district. There are strong industrial possibilities at village Kharagpur of the district, as the proposed railway line would pass through it. In view of this a Granite Park would be established in 10 hectare area. Since Tikamgarh and Prithvipur Tahsils have no industry, therefore in both the Tahsils Agriculture Export Zones (A.E.Z.) are proposed to be established in 25 hectare area each for processing of coriander, ginger and Maithi.
Meanwhile, the office-bearers of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gwalior in a letter to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan demanded that the next meet should be organised in Gwalior as soon as possible.
The chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, GD Laddha, Secretary Vijay Goyal, Joint Secretary Bhupendra Jain said that the efforts being made by the Madhya Pradesh Government for encouraging industrialisation are certainly laudable.
In the letter it is stated that the Gwalior has a glorious history and it was one of the important and famous industrial city in the past, but the closure of all the units of Birla group has damaged the industrial scenario to a great extent resulting in heavy unemployment.
There was a time when all the cities of Madhya Pradesh were much behind Gwalior but at present; the cities of Indore, Bhopal and Jabalpur have gone much ahead of Gwalior with enough development.
Goyal said Gwalior is very close to New Delhi and is linked with main railway line, Air service, National Highway and the North South corridor with four lanes from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Gwalior would also get the benefit of Taj expressway of eight lanes, which is to be constructed soon between Delhi and Agra. ([email protected])