Tata shortlists Singapore based Jurong for developing the masterplan for its SEZ in Gopalpur
Ancilaries, Berhampur- Gopalpur- Chhatrapur, Ganjam, Land acquisition, Metals and alloys, SEZs, Tatas June 21st. 2009, 2:30pmFollowing is an excerpt from a report in http://www.mydigitalfc.com/companies/tatas-hire-singapore-firm-sez-273.
Tata Realty & Infrastr-ucture (TRIL), Tata Group’s real estate and infrastructure development arm, has hired Singapore-based Jurong International as the master planner for its special economic zone (SEZ) project in Gopalpur (Orissa).
“We have shortlisted Jurong for this important project,” said a Tata group official. Jurong offers design and build, consultancy, construction, and facilities management services and its India office is located in Hyderabad.
The multi-product SEZ, with all infrastructure facilities and required amenities, will cost the group nearly $ 1billion.
So far, Jurong has done master plans for 380,000 hectares, 10 million square meters of industrial land and 5.8 million square meters of residential space.The SEZ in Gopalpur will focus on minerals, mining and associated industries. At present, Tata Steel possesses the land slotted for SEZ. In 1995, Tata Steel acquired the land for Rs 150 crore to set up a 2.5 million tonne per annum port-based steel plant in Orissa and spent. This plan had to be abandoned due to lack of amenities such as adequate water and iron ore linkages at the site. Now, Tata Steel is putting up a multi-million tonnes per annum steel plant at Kalinganagar in Orissa.
We plan to focus on industries that are downstream value-added in the metals and minerals space and allied industries such as gem and jewellery for the SEZ, which is planned to come up in 2,900 acres. The land is already in our possession and the necessary approvals are in place. So we expect that this development will not face any land acquisition related problems,” a TRIL official told Financial Chro-nicle.
“The positioning of the SEZ has been made keeping in mind the advantages of the local area and infrastructure such as a functioning port that’s capable of deep draught, an air strip and railway slidings that could be utilised by the industrial units in the zone,” added the official.
I hope this is for real and not because TATAs are due for some mining lease renewal. They have been accused of using such strategy with Orissa during mining lease renewal times.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:43 am
Last few years TATAs are cheating Odisha govt by just making some announcements / plan but end result is zero. Hope this initiation is realistic of their mega project in the acquired 4000 acres of costal land at Gopalpur.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:21 am
Its a pity that TATA’s look at Odisha only as a iron-ore reserve and nothing more. They will setup low grade industries like extraction of iron ore to feed their industries in Guj. or Maharashtara. Our people get all the ashes, heat and pollution and remain under developed. Why can’t the TATA’s be asked to setup a high grade industry like car manufacturing here? Aren’t we good for those kind of industries? Its time to look at these facts now.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:38 am
If the state Govt. brings the TATAs to the negotiating table then the TCS, the software arm of the Tata Group, may open its center in Berhampur as and when the STPI becomes operational. Further, the Technical Education center of the TATAs at Gopalpur could be converted into a full fledged Engineering College. Somehow, the State should extract an assurance from the TATA group to invest in knowledeg and software sector of Orissa in exchange for exploting the mineral resources of the state.
July 3rd, 2010 at 11:58 am
I belong to Ganjam and I worked with TATA’s Earlier. TATA group has a good image in India in what ever business it does. It’s very unfortunate that TATA project didn’t come up in gapalpur in 1995. Hope this time TATA’s willnot play with our sentiments….