By Alkesh Sharma, IANS,
New Delhi : The Haryana government is looking for an appropriate location in the state to provide an alternative to New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan for holding national level fairs and exhibitions, a state official said.
“We have plans to acquire over 300 acres of land in a suitable region of Haryana which has easy connectivity with New Delhi. We have identified four-five sites for this and very soon we will finalise one of them after getting the final approval from the union government. However, the land acquisition is a long procedure and will certainly take time,” said Dharam Vir, chief secretary, Haryana.
“The area will be developed into an ultra-modern exhibition complex and will be an ideal alternative for big exhibitions and events,” said Vir who is also the chairman of the Trade Fair Authority of Haryana.
“We also have plans to expand the existing Haryana Pavilion in the ongoing India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. In fact, we have spoken to the concerned officials and expressed our requirement of more space and hope that something will work out very soon,” Vir added.
There are 84 stalls, representing 36 corporations and agencies, at the Haryana pavilion at the IITF 2008.
The two-week-long IITF began here Nov 14 and will continue till Nov 27. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Infrastructure and Women Empowerment’.
Some of the prominent agencies showcasing their products and services in Haryana pavilion at IITF are Dairy Development Corporation, Industries and Commerce, Horticulture, Renewable energy, Tourism and Urban Development Board.
There are models of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) on display, exhibiting the future set-up of the state. Besides, petroleum products, milk products, handloom products, solar water heaters, bicycles, wrist watches, stainless steel items, cable wires and batteries are on display in the Haryana pavilion at the IITF.
“We have displayed this model of Dr Fresh IT SEZ at Sohna state highway in Gurgaon town. This is a 62 acre integrated project of Rs.7,600 million. After the completion of this SEZ, there will be an over 4.27 million square feet of information technology space,” Vimal Saxena, representative of the company told IANS.
“On completion, the Dr Fresh IT SEZ will provide employment to 40,000 skilled professionals of the country,” Saxena said.
According to an official report, over 600,000 visitors came to the Haryana pavilion during IITF 2007 and over 15,000 trade inquiries were made that generated about Rs.250 million worth of domestic business.
The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) that has its refinery in Panipat district in the state has also put up a stall showing various petroleum products and demonstrating their usage.
“With the advancement of technology, the IOC has doubled its refining capacity at Panipat from 6 million tonnes to 12 million tonnes per annum. It is further increasing its capacity to 15 million tonnes per annum,” said an official representative of the company.
He added: “The IOC in collaboration with Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) is also developing a petrochemical hub at Panipat. The hub will be an integrated complex on the land of 4,000 acre and there will be an investment of Rs.330 billion and it will generate employment for 30,000 people.”
An assortment of milk products are on display at the stall of Haryana Dairy Federation.
“With the brand name of VITA, Haryana Dairy Federation is manufacturing milk and milk products like flavoured milk, sweet and salty lassi, curd, butter, milk cake and mango drink,” G.R. Grover, chief executive officer of Haryana Dairy Federation told IANS.
“Vita brand has a turnover of Rs.880 million. The investment of the company is Rs.270 million and the company has given employment to around 500 people in the state,” Grover said.