Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Sunday, Jul 09, 2006
Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Sunday, Jul 09, 2006 |
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Industry & Economy
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Infrastructure Logistics - Shipping States - Gujarat Mundra SEZ to attract Rs 70,000-cr investments Virendra Pandit
Development proposals Adani Group is investing Rs 7,300 crore to provide infrastructure in the 14,000-hectare SEZ. The SEZ has adopted the popular Chinese model of `One Levelling and Seven Connections'. It has the potential to emerge as a major rival to Dubai, Sri Lanka and Singapore in the Indian Ocean-Arabian Sea waterways.
A VIEW OF Mundra Port, which is likely to be a part of the proposed SEZ.
Mundra (Kutch) , July 8 The country's largest special economic zone at Mundra is expected to generate about two lakh direct and indirect jobs in the coming months and attract Rs 70,000-crore investments in a decade, soon after the first phase of infrastructure is put in place by March 2007. "We are building a massive industrial city for this multi-product SEZ. For the basic requirement of water in the arid district of Kutch, the six-lakh litres of Narmada waterpromised by Gujarat Water Infrastructure Ltd would be insufficient. So we have begun work on the largest desalination plant in India," said Mr S.J. Vijay, Director of Mundra Special Economic Zone Ltd. Mundra SEZ is the special purpose vehicle promoted by the Rs 18,000-crore Adani Group, which has invested Rs 400 crore in the project. The Mundra SEZ has adopted the popular Chinese model of "One Levelling and Seven Connections" and would develop land, levelled and landscaped with boundary walls and streetlights. The seven utility connections would comprise road network, power supply, water supply, drainage network and holding ponds, sewerage collection and treatment (common effluent treatment plants), telecommunication and infocom network and gas. Mr Vijay told Business Line that a French company, Veolia, had been roped in to set up the desalination plant to provide about 50 million litres of water a day for immediate requirements. The company had earlier set up the world's largest desalination plant in Israel.
On full stream, the SEZ will require about 400 million litres of water per day, including the water from Narmada, desalination, rainwater harvesting and recycling. The Adani Group would invest Rs 4,000 crore in laying the pipelines. For providing medical and health facilities, it has tied up with the Apollo Hospitals Group to run a 50-bed hospital in the SEZ-Mundra Port complex.
Infrastructure plans
He pointed out that a township having about 5,000 houses was being planned for the SEZ and the first phase of constructing 2,500 units of various categories would be ready by March next year. For various offices in the Central Business District spread over 27 acres, three lakh sq. ft. of space, out of the 10 lakh sq ft planned, is ready for occupation; similarly, the port user building and two SEZ user buildings have also been completed. Work on the approved Integrated Textile Park, the first 600-MW unit power plant and the construction work of the 1,500-metres airstrip and its terminal building are in progress. In addition, the Adani Group has invested Rs 1,400 crore to make operational four additional multi-purpose terminals at the adjoining Mundra Port next month, and two container terminals next year to meet the additional demand arising out of the SEZ. It is investing a total of around Rs 7,300 crore to provide infrastructure in the estimated 14,000-hectare SEZ.
Basic features
According to Mr Vijay, the Mundra SEZ has its own port and container terminal, a housing township nearby, various amenities, the existing airstrip at Kandla and a proposed airport in the SEZ, availability of water and power supply, among other things. It has the potential to emerge as a major rival to Dubai, Sri Lanka and Singapore in the Indian Ocean-Arabian Sea waterways. Apart from desalination, Veolia has also been entrusted with the task of recycling, harvesting, and distribution of water. Work on two units of 600 MW each has commenced although the Adani Group is readying itself to increase it to 2,000 MW.
Broad components
According to top sources in the company, Mundra SEZ, readying to emerge as an engineering manufacturing hub, would have as broad components a processing area for manufacturing, trading and warehousing; a central business district; and social infrastructure comprising housing, healthcare, education and recreation.
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