By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: A mineral-based Special Economic Zone, (SEZ), would be developed at Hargarh village in Sihora Tahasil in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
A target has been set to complete this SEZ in three years by the year 2011. The Union government has given formal approval to proposal of this SEZ recently. The SEZ would be developed by Madhya Pradesh Audyogik Vikas Kendra, Jabalpur.
It may be mentioned here that during the investors meet at Jabalpur on February 15 and 16, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had laid the foundation stone of this SEZ at Hargarh on February 15. On that occasion, Chouhan had said that the proposal of establishing SEZ at Hargarh has been forwarded to the Union government after completing all the formalities. He informed that the work on the SEZ would be started as soon as approval is received from the Union government. On the initiative of Chief Minister Chouhan, the Union government has given approval to the proposal within a short span.
The SEZ would be developed in 101 hectare area at Hargarh village, 64 kilometres away from Jabalpur district headquarters. At Hargarh, 250 acre land is available for industrial provision. The SEZ based on minerals and mineral-based industries would be developed at cost of Rs. 158.10 crore. An amount of Rs. 93 crore 31 lakh 75000 would be spent on developing its infrastructure while Rs 45.44 crore would be spent on development of facilities. Out of these, Rs. 89 .86 crore would be spent by private promoter, Rs five crore (in the form of land) by the state government, Rs. 20 crore from Aside Yojana and Rs. 43.24 crore would be mobilised through grants.
Once the SEZ is developed, it would facilitate exports worth over Rs. 688.59 crore in five years. In the first year it would export goods worth Rs. 309.87 crore and provide direct and indirect employment to more than 11,000 people.
Industrial units based on the raw miners found in this area would be set up at Hargarh SEZ. The unit would be based on marble, fire clay, ceramic products, titles and stone cutting and polishing, fire bricks, marble statue, marble and granite cutting, iron ore, prophilite diaspore, slabs of marble and granite, straps and tiles for wall covering etc. ([email protected])