Tatas’ Nashik SEZ plan hangs fire over land allotment
The Tata group may have to rework plans of setting up a special economic zone (SEZ) in Maharashtra, following the Centre’s recent policy intervention. The Tatas were on the verge of finalising SEZ at Sinnar near Nashik.
By Hema Ramakrishnan, TNN |
PUNE: The Tata group may have to rework plans of setting up a special economic zone (SEZ) in Maharashtra, following the Centre’s recent policy intervention. The Tatas were on the verge of finalising its second SEZ at Sinnar near Nashik. The group is developing an SEZ at Gopalpur in Orissa.
Tata Realty & Infrastructure, a subsidiary of the Tata Group, had put in a formal application with the Maharashtra State Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) seeking land for a multi-product SEZ.
“The company has put in an application for allotment of land at Sinnar,” said Rajiv Jalota, CEO of MIDC. However, MIDC has not taken any decision on the allotment as it is awaiting fresh guidelines on the issue.
MIDC is already in possession of a chunk of land in Sinnar, and a notification is in the works for the acquisition of more. “We were planning a 1,000-hectare SEZ near Nashik. A final decision on this will be taken after we receive clear directives from the Centre,” he said.
The Tatas, however, refused comment. “We do not wish to comment on market speculation,” a spokesperson for Tata Realty and Infrastructure said. According to sources, the application was filed over a month ago, prior to the empowered group of ministers proposing policy changes on SEZs.
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The MIDC will have to factor in the decisions taken by the eGoM before taking a final view. The two parties were to sign an MoU for the proposed SEZ, sources said.One of the key decisions of the eGoM was to restrict state governments from acquiring land for an SEZ on behalf of a private developer. Nor is the state government allowed to form joint ventures with private developers if they do not have land in possession.
Sources said MIDC has already started the process of acquiring land at Sinnar. According to MIDC officials it has acquired around 200 hectares, and is unsure whether to continue with the process.
The Tata group’s first SEZ at Gopalpur in Orissa was modelled differently. There, the company had acquired around 2,500 acres of land to set up a steel plant several years ago.
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It then approached the Centre to re-designate the land so that it can be used for developing an SEZ. The proposed SEZ will house an electro-metallurgical industrial complex.Download
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