___________

Following is from http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=59882. The Odisha part and some other important parts are highlighted in red by me.

CCEA Decision

            The CCEA today approved a Rs.1156 crore World Bank assisted Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Project.  This project is to be implemented over the next five years by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The World Bank’s contribution as soft loan/IDA credit is around         Rs. 897 crore (78%).  This ICZM project assumes special significance in the context of climate change since one of the definitive findings of the IPCC relates to the increase in mean sea levels as a result of global warming.

            The ICZM project has four main components:

1.       National ICZM capacity-building at a total investment of about Rs.356 crore which will cover (i) mapping, delineation and demarcation of the hazard lines and delineation of the coastal sediment cells along the mainland coast of India; (ii) mapping, delineation and demarcation of environmentally-sensitive areas that require protection; (iii) establishment of a National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management at Anna University, Chennai; and (iv) a nation-wide training programme for coastal zone management.

2.       ICZM activities along the Gulf of Kachchh and in Jamnagar District in Gujarat at a total investment of around Rs.298 crore.

3.       ICZM and wetland conservation activities in two stretches of the Orissa coast (i) Gopalpur-Chilika; and (ii) Paradip-Dhamra at a total investment of Rs.201 crore.

4.       ICZM activities in Sunderban, Haldia and Digha-Shankarpur regions of West Bengal at a total investment of Rs.300 crore.

The project would develop capacity and institutions to effectively implement the CRZ Notification 1991, to control pollution of coastal waters and to expand livelihood options for coastal communities. The elaborate and extensive exercise in hazard mapping along the 7500-km coastline, which is being done for the first time, by the Survey of India at cost of Rs.125 crore will greatly assist in protecting coastal communities and infrastructure located in coastal areas.

The total number of direct beneficiaries of the project is close to 15 lakhs, while the number of indirect but identifiable beneficiaries will be close to 6 crore. The initial set of three states have been selected on various grounds including pressure on coast, presence of critical ecosystems, risks of natural hazards, etc. The Asian Development Bank is supporting a less comprehensive shoreline management project in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa. It is envisaged that the second phase of ICZM would take up the other coastal states with project preparation in all remaining coastal states commencing immediately.

Of special focus in the project will be identification and demarcation of coastal fragile areas like mangroves, brackish water wetlands, coral reefs, etc based on which a new category of “Critically Vulnerable Coastal Areas”(CVCAs) would be designated and appropriate management plans implemented for their preservation and regeneration. These would include areas around Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Khambat in Gujarat, Malvan, Vasasi-Manori,Achra-Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, Karwar and Coondapur in Karnataka, Vembanad in Kerala, Bhaitarkanika and Chilika in Orissa, Coringa, East Godavari and Krishna in Andhra Pradesh,Sunderban in West Bengal, Pichawaram and Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu etc.

This is the second World Bank assisted project of the Ministry of Environment and Forests to be approved by the CCEA in the past two weeks. The first was a Rs. 350 crore project for initiating the process of remediation, rehabilitation and restoration of contaminated hazardous waste/municipal solid waste dumpsites in the country. There are over 120 such sites in different states and this project would be launched to clean-up 2 sites in Andhra Pradesh and 8 in West Bengal to begin with, apart from to prepare a national plan for remediation and restoration of all legacy contaminated sites which have become public health hazards.

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AD/LV

(Thanks to futureberhampur for the pointer.)

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard by Hrushikesh Mohanty.

Japanese auto major Toyota Motor Corporation has evinced interest in setting up a processing plant for rare earth chloride, one of the intermediate products of monazite.

The auto major is in advanced stage of negotiations with Orissa Sands Complex (OSCOM), a unit of Indian Rare Earths Ltd, for setting up the plant near OSCOM’s site at Matikahal, near Chhatrapur, about 30 km from here. …

The rare earth metals used in manufacturing several electronics items, magnet and automobile tools are in high demand in the international markets.The officials of IREL have anticipated several other companies to come forward to set up their plants to process the individual rare earths in the area.

It may be noted that OSCOM is setting up a 10 million tonne per annum monazite processing plant within its existing unit in Orissa.

…  The monazite processing plant is expected to start production from next year. Presently the Mining and Mineral Separation (MMS) plant of OSCOM is producing ilmenite and associated minerals by processing the rare earth minerals which are abundant in the Ganjam coast. The present capacity of the MMS plant of OSCOM is 2,20,000 tonnes per annum and the capacity utilization of the plant is almost 100 per cent.

Following is an excerpt from a report in expressbuzz.com.

The Army is proposing to set up a full-fledged military hospital at Gopalpur in Ganjam district and upgrade Kalinga School in Bhubaneswar, which is up to Class V, to an Army Public School from next session. The proposal to set up six polyclinics has been agreed in principle by the Government of India and they are going to be functional shortly at Sambalpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, Puri, Koraput and Ganjam districts. All veterans should get their registration done through respective station headquarters to avail of the diagnostic facilities.

… Orissa will be the first state to have two Sainik Schools after opening of the Sainik School at Sambalpur for the people of Western Orissa. He said 70 acres of land has been identified for the school along the Goshal-Chiplima road and Sainik School Board will visit the place soon. This apart Sainik School, Bhubaneswar, has been given enhanced financial assistance for its upkeep and all existing scholarships have been doubled.

… Revealing that process of identification of 700 acres of land in Jharsuguda or Sundargarh district is on for location of an Army unit keeping in view rail and air connectivity, Jha said ad hoc Station Headquarters to meet the administrative requirements of the veterans in Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar, Balasore and Gopalpur have been upgraded into fullfledged Station Headquarters.A transit home in Bhubaneswar and a holiday home in Puri for serving soldiers as well as veterans are also on the cards, he added.

Bishnu Das’s article in Business Standard lists many of the solar and biomass power unit projects that are in the pipeline in Odisha. Following are some excerpts.

Solar power units:

• 5 Mw power plant of RSB Energy Pvt Ltd in Sundergarh district
• Enzen Global Solutions’s 5 Mw solar power plant in Khurda district
• Lanco Solar’s 5 Mw solar plant in Cuttack district
• Sunark Solar’s 5 Mw power plant in Puri district
• Kolkata based SREI Infrastructure’s 5 Mw solar power plant in Bolangir district
• Moserbaer Pvt Ltd’s 5 Mw grid interactive solar photo voltaic project
• Sahara India’s 5 Mw solar power plant

Biomass power units:

• Rice husk based power plant being set up by Shali Vahana Green Energy Ltd at Nimidha village in Dhenkanal district
• Satya Bio-Power Industry Ltd planning to set up a 10 Mw plant in Ganjam
• A V N Power Projects setting up a 10 Mw power plant in Kalahandi district
• Prasad Bio-Energy planning a 10 Mw unit in Raygada
• Jay Laxmi Bio-Energy Ltd intends to set up a 10 Mw unit in Nayagarh
• Another plant of similar capacity is proposed by Andhavarapu Bio-Energy in Nawarangpur

(Thanks to Future Berhampur blog for the pointer.)

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

The Centre has approved the development of four different sectors in Orissa including granite through the cluster approach under the Lean Manufacturing Competitiveness Scheme (LMCS).

These clusters include the Ganjam Granite cluster at Berhampur, the handicrafts cluster of the Khurda-based Trishakti Self Help Group (SHG), Sponge Iron cluster at Bonai near Rourkela and plastic cluster at Balasore.

New Delhi-based National Productivity Council (NPC) has been chosen as the nodal agency for the implementation of these cluster units. The formation of special purpose vehicles (SPVs) is necessary for the formal declaration of these cluster units.

“We have already taken steps to form the SPV for the granite cluster at Berhampur”, said Santosh Kumar Bebarta, secretary, Ganjam Granite Cluster. Once all the formalities are completed, the granite cluster will be launched, said B B Dhal, general manager, District Industry Centre (DIC), Ganjam. The deadline for the functioning of the proposed granite cluster is December 31 this year. The SPV of the particular cluster could get a funding up to Rs 10 crore from the Centre for setting up of the Common Service Centre (CSC).

The web page for the Lean Manufacturing Competitiveness Scheme (LMCS) is http://www.dcmsme.gov.in/schemes/lean-manufact.htm. In the pilot phase 100 mini-clusters have been proposed.

I hope the above pointers will be useful for readers to approach people and officials in their local area to pursue mini-clusters under the above scheme.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Hindu.

A Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for greater Berhampur is expected to be ready in next six months.

It was declared by Berhampur Development Authority Chairperson Sarat Ranjan Patnaik at a workshop organised in the city on Saturday to elicit views from corporators and councillors of the local urban bodies under the BDA.

 The technical team that attended the workshop was led by chief planner of the Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO), J.B. Khirsagar. The TCPO, which happens to be the technical advisory body of Central Ministry of Urban Development, is preparing the CDP for greater Berhampur.

Mr. Patnaik said earlier the TCPO decided to prepare the master plan in 18 months. But due to requests of the BDA, the TCPO authorities have agreed to expedite the process and complete the process in one year.

He expected the master plan to be ready in another six months.

… The Orissa government is bearing the cost of the CDP preparation, which would cost around Rs. 1.08 crores. Mr. Khirsagar said the TCPO was providing the technical collaboration without taking any consultancy fee.

… The present CDP is being prepared keeping in view the development of greater Berhampur till the year 1931 2031.

The area under greater Berhampur will include the urban centres of Berhampur, Gopalpur and Chatrapur and 139 villages between them.

The CDP will comprise a total area of 317 sq. km. having a population of around 12 lakhs.

Similar CDPs for other areas need to be prepared at the earliest.

A search in the web leads to the call for tenders for CDP for Berhampur area as well as Rourkela area. Some numbers from that document is as follows:

Abstract of area and population on Berhampur Development authority

Abstract of area and population on Rourkela Development authority

Update:Tathya has a recent report on who is pursuing which port. Following is a table based on that info.

The following urban centers are either a part of present Berhampur city or are located close to it. Strangely some pockets inside Berhampur city were till recently considered as village with population in the range of 5-10 thousand.

Berhampur (core) – 402672
Hinjilikatu (NAC) – 24229
Chatrapur (NAC) – 21892

Under BMC
Lochapada (inside Berhampur) – 10123
Bhabinipur (Under BMC limits) – 7324
Lathi (Under BMC limits) – 6479
Jagadalpur (Under BMC limits) – 5868
Mohada (inside BMC) – 3265

Berhampur East City
Golabandha (Military cantonment) – 9366
Arjyapalli (Gopalpur port) – 8511
Gopalpur (NAC) – 7633
Pathara (Under BMC limits) – 5692
Korapolli (BAMP-Gopalpur) – 3540
Rangilunda (Berhampur University) – 2493

Berhampur South City
Golanthara (NIST) – 5345
Konisi (inside BMC)- 4210
Haldiapadar (under BMC and AutoNagar) – 2762
Randha (cluster of Engineering colleges) – 2703

Places close to Berhampur with educational or other Instiutions:
Sundarpur (Engineering colleges) – 8328
Kukudakhandi (less than 5 kms) – 7073
Ankusapur (SMIT & inside Berhampur)- 4743
Narendrapur (Govt eng college & inside BMC)- 3470
Bendalia (inside BMC)- 2920
Matikhala (IRE)- 2852
Chamakhandi (TATA)- 2638
Chandipadar (SMIT Eng College)- 2467
Mandiapalli (JN TATA Institute) – 2303
Nimakhandi (inside Berhampur) – 2929

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Greater Berhampur Total: 573830 (Excluding few other Panchayats which have since been subsumed under BMC)

The following insights and suggestions are from reader Ajay Sahu. We invite similar insights from other readers so that people can have a better understanding of various parts of Orissa and their needs. In particular, we are looking for suggestions on institutions that can be or have branches in a particular region of Orissa, with proper reasoning given on why that institution is a good fit for that part of Orissa.

Aska-Kabisuryanagar Area:

1. In many parts of India especially in Tamilnadu, People call "ASKA" for the name "Sugar" but we Odia’s normally call Chini / Sakar just copying the Hindi language (probably).I believe, this needs to be awakened among all Odia’s about the 1st Sugar Plant in Asia which is at ASKA. If possible, we need to pass this information to respective Govt. officials for a documentary movie on Sugar City-ASKA.

Historical background of ASKA relates to Sugar factory of ASKA which is Asia’s 1st Sugar Factory build by Minchin Saheb in british time.This factory has its own name.Due to this factory the Aska Town is known as Sugar City.Still many parts of India(Tamilnadu), call sugar as ASKA.

When one thinks of Aska Cooperative Sugar Industries Ltd., many things come to memory, its history, the pioneers in the field, the hardy local farmers, its workmen, the dedicated bureaucrats, the support it got at highest levels, the institutional infrastructure that helped, and how it over-come so with a back ground of its heritage of being the story of Sugar in Asia and the place where Asia’s 1st Sugar Factory was established in 1824.

The jaggery mill which was started in the year 1948 by the name "The Aska Sugar Works and Distillery Ltd." by ‘Biny and Co. Madras’ which met with huge losses for lack of supervision and other transport bottle-necks. There after Fredrick Josheph Vivian Minchin, the Book Keeper of Biny & Co. purchased the said factory and with the new Sugar Technology obtained from Germany designed and rebuilt the factory in 1856.

http://askasugar.com/ 
http://www.coopsugar.org/history.php 
http://www.kalingatimes.com/explore_orissa/news_20080413-Gopalpur-on-Sea.htm

Thus, since Aska is known for Sugar city and having the 1st sugar Plant in Asia established in established in 1824, request to demand towards establishment of National Sugar Institute as like Kanpur or as like Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI), Pune.

2. Aska is famous for Sanskrit toll and college (Mac Micle Sanskrit College, Aska) since many many years. I believe, state govt can open a branch of Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya (Puri) to the right fit to this location. Presently Aska is having a Sanskrit school and College which can be upgraded.

3. Aska is known for 1st industrial town in Ganjam district having Sugar Industry and Spinning Mill. State govt should demand for opening a central school on this locality. The best choice for opening central school will be at Hinjilicut as it is center place  between Aska and Berhampur (15 km on each side)

4. In the last railway budget, Railway Survey has been granted for the route Berhampur to Sambalpur which needs to be expedited as it is passing through the region of Aska, Bhanjanagar, Kandhamal district etc.

Bhanjanagar- Belaguntha Area:

 1. As this is the main town in Ghumusar region and no technical institute is nearby, state government should open a govt engg college and demand to central govt for opening a Indian Institute of Forest Management like in  Bhopal.

2. KSUB College is the oldest college after Khallikote College in Ganjam district. This college should be converted to a model college.

3. Bhanjanagar is famous for good spoken language as people say…And this town is the place of Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja. State should consider Research center on Bhanja Sahitya and Oriya literature.

4. In the last railway budget, Railway Survey has been granted for the route Berhampur to Sambalpur which needs to be expedited as it is passing through the region of Aska, Bhanjanagar, Kandhamal district etc.

If one looks at the map of population centers in Orissa, Ganjam district seems to have the maximum number of urban centers.

The following is with respect to the 2001 cesnus.

As per the 2009 estimate the urban areas of Ganjam with a population of more than 7500 are:

Ganjam is the only district in Orissa to have two Lok Sabha constituencies named after its towns/cities: Berhampur and Aska.

Based on the above the state, district and city planners should plan on creating larger urban agglomerations so that they can get more funding and infrastructure. In particular, the larger the urban area, the more is the funding from the urban development ministry.

In particular, the Berhampur area should be planned to grow radially:

• To the North east on NH-5 towards Chhatrapur, Rushikulya river and Chilika lake
• To the east to Gopalpur
• To the North on NH-217 towards Hinjilicut (the second largest urban area of Ganjam and the CM Naveen babu’s constituency)
• To the west towards Digapahandi
• To the southwest towards Chikiti
• To the south towards Andhra border

An initial start in this direction has been made. But the area needs to be made bigger. See below.

If one looks at the map of roads in Orissa, Ganjam district seems to be the most dense with roads. Looking at the above map an initial metro area bounded by Berhampur, Hinjilicut, Chhatrapur and Gopalpur would be good. The Rushikulya river frontage and the beach areas could serve as scenic demarcations.

In terms of other developments, the Future Berhampur blog lists the various development taking place in Berhampur. Some of the notable ones are:

• The number of educational institutions in the area, especially through private ventures. (For example, 7 diploma granting polytechnics, NTTF center, 10 engineering colleges, etc.)
• Gopalpur port
• Tata SEZ in Gopalpur
• Planned atomic power plant
• Planned IIIT Berhampur

This is a good core to start with. With proper planning and attention the Berhampur area could become a Tier-II metropolitan area of India. Its distance to the Bhubaneswar area is similar to the distance of Pune from Mumbai and Mysore from Bangalore.

Following items are from http://twitter.com/orissalinks:

• Bhubaneswar development authority (BDA) plans 1st satellite city at Jagasara-Madanpur; taking lessons from NOIDA. http://bit.ly/8xBnc 
• Rungta mines plans Rs 600-cr cement unit in Orissa. Economic Times. http://bit.ly/3kxe0H7.
• Beautiful beaches in and near Talasari, Balsore District, Orissa. A nice article in Telegraph. http://bit.ly/ISbBn.
• Orissa Sands Complex, at Matikhala near Chhatrapur in Orissa is expected to have a captive power plant. http://bit.ly/aglpH .
• Infosys to invest 600 cr for new facilities @ Mangalore, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, Chandigarh & Bhubaneswar this year. http://bit.ly/WKjtt.
• http://www.odisha1.com has released tools for learning Odia and provides links for Odia Entertenment.
• Excellent resource on Poet Sri Jayadeva of Orissa. http://www.jayadevfoundatio… He wrote Geetagovinda.
• Superior health care at Nandankanan Zoo in Barang near Bhubaneswar, Orissa. http://bit.ly/qVB5h.
• An excellent blog tracking the progress of Berhampur, Orissa by R. P. Tripathy. http://futureberhampur.blogspot.com/.
• ITC plans hotel in Bhubaneswar, Orissa. Already has land. http://bit.ly/HVrz0.
• I&B ministry gives nod to Community Radio Station (CRS) at Konark, Orissa. http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/july/july296.php.
• The Orissa govt. plans a ‘bamboo garden’ on 15 acres inside the Patrapara Medicinal Plant garden in Bhubaneswar.
• Toy making from paper pulp empowers tribal women in Orissa http://bit.ly/1afm0K.
• Bhitarkanika in Orissa shortlisted with 3 others to be presented to UNESCO for world heritage status. http://bit.ly/svKqD.
• PIB: Captive breeding centers for Vultures set up at 4 Zoos: Bhopal, Bhubaneswar Orissa, Junagarh and Hyderabad. http://bit.ly/iYPfg.
• Swosti Plaza Bhubaneswar upgrades. Free airport pick up and drop off. Wi-Fi in rooms. Upgraded health club. http://bit.ly/6mUFg. Swosti Plaza Bhubaneswar upgrades to Swosti Premium. http://bit.ly/6mUFg.
• SRPL plans to launch restaurant brands like Oh! Calcutta, Sigree and Machaan in Orissa by March 2010. http://bit.ly/afzPN.
• Orissa has 8 large and 38 medium reservoirs. Work on 16 reservoirs is in progress. Rs 230.4 crore budget for this. http://bit.ly/109dUK.
• Apollo will be commissioning a 350-bed multi-speciality tertiary hospital at Bhubaneswar before September this year. http://bit.ly/wzae2.
• MP Baijayanta Panda has introduced several private bills. A good step. http://164.100.47.132/lobte….
• Orissa yet to submit final proposal on PCPIR in Paradeep? http://bit.ly/p1YiM.
• Rs1462 crore for Orissa to raise tree cover in degraded forest land. http://bit.ly/UPltI Money had accumulated through CAMPA.
• People blindly opposing industrialization of Orissa should read http://www.counterpunch.org… Orissa needs more job ops.
• Orissa has proposed 4 sites for international size shipyards. http://bit.ly/HJ6DA. Those sites are: Astaranga (in Puri), Palur, Gopalpur and Bahuda muhana/Sonepur (all in Ganjam).
• Next yr Rail budget should have the new trains Bhawanipatna-BBS, Gunupur/Parlakhemundi-BBS and the extension of BBS-Baripada to Bangiriposi.
• MP Tathagat Satpathy wants BBS-NDLS non-stop express to go through Talcher-Angul. How will it benefit his constituency Talcher-Angul?

An excellent blog on Berhampur’s growth is at http://futureberhampur.blogspot.com/.

(Thanks to reader Abhisek for the pointers.)

The following is from Orissa gazette of December 30 2008 making the declaration.

 

EXTRAORDINARY

PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY

No. 2382, CUTTACK, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2008/PAUSA 9, 1930

HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

NOTIFICATION

The 29th December 2008

S.R.O. No. 641/2008

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of article 243 Q of the Constitution of India the Governor of Orissa hereby specifies the local area comprising the whole of the Berhampur Municipal Council in the district of Ganjam with the boundaries described in the Schedule given below as a larger urban area.

SCHEDULE

North : Chandaniapahada, Ambagada, Ratnapur, Jagadalpur, Nimakhandi, Luchapada, Bhavinipur, Bada Gumula, Pali Gumula, Sana Kausasthali and Narendrapur.

South : Aruva pali, Ganja, Brahmapali, Khajuria, Phulata, Haladiapadar.

East : Raghunathpur, Pathura, Dura, Mandiapalli, Aruvapali.

West : Bendalia Lathi, Sukunda, Chandania pahada, Ambagada.

[No. 33010-Ele(Con)6/2008/HUD.]

By order of the Governor

Dr. A.K.PANDA

Commissioner-cum-Secretary to Government

Following are some excerpts from a report in Hindu.

The Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) organised a launching workshop on Saturday on the preparations of Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for a greater Berhampur. The CDP is to be prepared by the Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO), the technical advisory body of Central Ministry of Urban Development. The new master plan would be Geographical Information System (GIS)-based. It would depend on remote sensing data provided by satellites as well as the ground level data collected through surveys. …

The preparation of the CDP would cost around Rs. 1,09,75,000. The State Government, which would bear the cost, has provided Rs. 35.50 lakhs for it in the first phase.

It may be noted that Berhampur, a major trading and cultural centre had its last master plan way back in 1969. This master plan envisioned the urban growth and required basic amenities for a population of over two lakh persons by the year 1986. The present CDP however would provide urban development plan for the area now under the BDA which includes areas of urban bodies like Berhampur, Gopalpur and Chatrapur and 139 villages. This would be part of the greater Berhampur with a vision of development for next 30 years. The CDP would comprise a total area of 317 square km having a population of 5,13,760 persons. It is expected that the CDP would be ready in 18 months.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Steelguru.

… Orissa Government, in its bid to encourage power generation from waste has given its accord to 8 bio mass based power projects with a combined generation capacity of 90 MW by private developers.

The proposed projects are likely to be set up in Raygada, Nawarangpur, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Khurda, Dhenkanal and Puri districts. The cost per MW of power is expected to be between INR 4.5 crore to INR 5 crore depending on the location and evacuation facilities.

Moreover, the Sali Vahana Green Energy is planning to set up a 20 MW bio mass based power plant in Dhenkanal and Satya bio power Industry, a 10 MW plant in Ganjam. Prasad bio energy plans to set up a 10 MW unit in Raygada. While Jaylaxmi bio energy Limited to set up a 10 MW unit in Nayagarh another plant of similar capacity by Andhavarapu bio energy is likely to come up in Nawarangpur. Sampath Power Projects and Falcon Green Energy propose 10 MW capacity units each in Khurda and Puri respectively.

Following 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.

Following is from a report in hospitalitybizindia.com.

The Orissa government is planning to set up two mega food parks in south Orissa’s Ganjam and Gajapati districts at an investment of Rs 200 Crore. The proposal to set up the parks is pending before the Union Government’s concerned departments.

Of the total investment, the Union Government is likely to bear 50 per cent of the cost, while the balance 50 per cent will be provided by the Orissa government. Two mega food processing units are likely to be set up in the food parks to facilitate vegetable and fruit processing. The proposed food parks will offer marketing avenues for different agricultural and horticultural products from the farmers after these products are scientifically processed.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business standard.

The World Bank is likely to fund the Rs 303 crore drinking water project for Berhampur in South Orissa. The scheme envisages bringing water from Surada reservoir, located about 100-km from here.

The detailed project report (DPR) was submitted to the World Bank team which had visited the city recently to study the feasibility of the project.

… With a population of over 3.5 lakh, the city needs 45 million litres of water daily. However, the city gets only 33 million litres per day, which goes down to 20-24 million litres during the peak summer, sources said.

The water to the city is being supplied from the Rushikulya water supply system at Madhapur, about 30 km from here and the Dakhinapur Impounding Reservoir located on the outskirts of the city.

…  Meanwhile the government is mulling to tackle the situation with assistance from the World Bank by bringing water from the Surada reservoir through pipes. At present, the water supply is through the canal.

"We feel that sufficient water can be drawn from Surada reservoir when it comes through the pipe", sources said.

This apart, the government is also planning to implement the Ghatakeswar medium irrigation project with an investment of Rs 24 crore. National Bank for Agriculture and rural Development (Nabard) has sanctioned the project.

Following the completion of this project, about 8 million litres of water would be supplied to the city every day.

Meanwhile, a project for water treatment at the Dakhinapur reservoir is underway, involving an investment of Rs 5.20 crore. The project is being executed under the Urban Infrastructure Development for Samll and Medium Towns (UIDSMT) to treat about 20 million litres of water daily.

• Chikiti , Ganjam
  • Patisonapur, Sonapur, Katuru, Chandanbada, Ekasingi
• Gopalpur, Ganjam
  • Dhepanuapada, Sasanapada, Phasinuapada, Indrakhi, Markandi, Lohadigam, Kirtipur, Kostapeta, Kamalpur, Hatipada, Golbanda, Boxipalli, Venketraipur, Gopalpur (NAC)
• Chhatrapur, Ganjam
  • Uppalaputi, Kalipalli, Basanaputi, Matikhala, Arjyapali, Humuribana, Podapadar, Agastinuagan, Jimi, Damodarpurpankalo, Ganjam (NAC), Pallibandha, Gokharakuda, Mayurapada, Jayamangalahil, Kantiagada, Nuagambarapalli, Padagadajhatipadar, Palurgada, Madhusudanpur, Prayagi
• Brahmagiri, Puri
  • Anikarapur, Nandala, Ramalenka, Brahmandeo, Hunjan, Pitisal, Baliapokhari, Udaygiri, Fatepur, Naba, Nababeatarea, Siandi, Gopalpur, Ora, Noliapatna, Jamuna, Alanda, Alandapatna, Titipia, Balianala, Mithakua, Nuapada, Deulapada, Biripadar, Kamalasing, Patharkata, Patanasi, Jharakata, Khirisahi, Kharisahi, Janhikuda, Bhabanipur, Parla, Gurubai, Berhampur, Maensa, Gopinathpurpatna, Alupatna, Satapada, Bankijala, Baghamunda, Sipakudapatna, Chandramara, Pirijipur, Banamalipurpatna, Mirjapur, Manika, Padanpur, Anandpur, Bhagbanpur, Manikpatna, Rameswarpur, Arakhakuda, Jenapur, Hasimpur, Sipasurubili, Narasinghpurpatna, Gorual
• Puri
  • Puri town, Balukhanda, Mohanipur, Beldal, Batulia Kesharpur, Bhimapur, Batulibhuan, Chhaitana
• Kakatpur, Puri
  • Gadabangor, Bangar, Sutan, Khalakata, Sahukbanata, Konark NAC, Dudhiabar, Jamara, Godhanpada, Abadan, Singharpal, Chhenua, Udaykani, Tandahar, Keutajanga, Rahakhandol, Daluakani, Chhuriana, Gundalaba, Sudikeswar, Sahana, Nanpur, Nuagarh, RIVER
• Balikuda-Ersama, Jagatsinghpur
  • RIVER, Badabali,  Dhanuhar Belari, Mankadakhia, Nadiakhia, Kusupur, Harispurgarh, Sahadabedi, RIVER, Padampur,  Jatadhartanda, Barkuda, Gadakujanga, Noliasahi, Polanga, Nuagaon, Gobindpur, Dhinikia, MUHANA, Abhayachandapur, Kansaripatia
• Paradeep, Jagatsinghpur
  •  Paradeep, Boitarakuda, Kaudia
• Mahakalapada, Kendrapada
  •  Hetamundia, Hukitola, Kansaridah, Baligarh, Bhitara-Kharinasi, Kharinasi, Jamboo, Kandara Pata, Banapada, Odiasala, Paunsiapal, Baro, Suniti, Chaulidiah
• Rajanagar, Kendrapada
  • Barunei muhana, Harishpur, Karanjia, Gohipur, Jurapanga, Bikeikani, Teisimouza, BaghaDiha, Paramandapur, Mohanpur, Govindapur, Kanhupur, Satavaya, Badagahiramatha, Kaduanasi, Sanagahiramatha, Habelichintamanipur, RIVER, Pravati, Ahirajpur, Sailendrasahi, Kantiakhai, Suravi, Rajapatna, Jyotiprasad, Birabhanjapur, Tikatatnagar, Talchua, Rajendranagar, Rajeswarinagar, Sailendranagar, Kanaknagar, Krishnanagar, Baghua, Subarnapur, Trilochanpur, Kamalpur, Saradaprasad, Dangamal, Nalitapatia, Govindpur, RIVER
•  Chandbali, Bhadrakh
  • RIVER, Kasturikana, Dhrubapahalipur, Rajendrapali, Rajarajeswarpali, Dakshinadhamara, Smal Wheeler, Jayadurgapatna, Jyosnamayee, Sabitrisarai, Amarnagar, Rabindranagar, Dosinga, Balisahi, Dhamara port, Coconat Island, Saratprasad, Kishoreprasad, Gouraprasad, Hrudayaprasad, Karanjamal, Narendrapur, Dhanakuta, Baincha, Kuamara, Karanapalli, Bijaypatna
• Basudevpur, Bhadrakh
  • Nandapatna, Balimunda, Badahabelisahi, Sanahabelisahi, Bideipur, Krushnapur, Kismatkrushnapur, Basudevpur (NAC), Chudamani port, RIVER, Adhuan, Eram, Kantipur, Kumarpur, Mohanpur, RIVER
• Soro, Balasore
  •  Kharasahpur, Kheranga, Maharudrapur, Balisahi
• Remuna, Balasore
  • Talapada, RIVER, Inchudi, Deulabad, Kantarda, Khadu, Rasalpur, Bhimpur, Kusumuli, Jayadebkasapa, Jayadevkasba, Nidhipada, Gudu, Hidigan
• Balasore
  • Chandipur, Budhbalanga river mouth, Srikona, Parikhi, Bagda, Dubulagadi, Sartha, Kasafal muhana, Kasafal
• Basta, Balasore
  • Jambhirai, Jamunasul, Chandamani, Aladiha, Balibil, Betagadia, Narayanpur, Dagara, Chaumukha, Kirtania port, Subarnarekha RIVER
• Bhograi, Balasore
  • Subarnarekha RIVER, Rasalpur, Kumbhirgari, Kirtaniajalpahi, N. M. Padia, Chandrabali,  Narayan Mohanty Padia, Talasari beach, SAND

Following is a one year old report from Steelguru on Gopalplur SEZ which I had missed.

TATA Steel has announced setting up of up a galvanizing and color coating line with a capacity of 150,000 tonnes at an investment of INR 250 crore at the special economic zone proposed by TATA Steel and notified by the Union government at Gopalpur.

Mr B Muthuraman MD of TATA Steel told media that “It would be a multi product SEZ and as a first step, TATA Steel had decided to set up the galvanizing line. TATA Steel was looking to rope in partners to develop the infrastructure for the project.”

He said “We are looking for partners who will promote infrastructure within the SEZ. It will be a multi product SEZ, and the project should take about 24 months to be implemented.”

Following is from a report in Steelguru.

BS reported that cargo handling capacity is projected to be 14 million tonne per annum from the 0.55 million tonne envisaged for the first phase. It will have 5 berths including one exclusive berth for aluminium by 2011 and 10 berths by 2016. Similarly, the number of ship calls per day is projected to increase to 1,451 by 2016 from about 333 likely to be achieved by 2011.

According to official sources, the company submitted the detailed project report for developing an all weather port at Gopalpur having direct berthing facility to the Orissa government recently. Though INR 20 crore was proposed to be invested by GPL in the first phase, it has already spent about INR 78 crore on making the port functional.

During the second phase, the port will have facilities to handle export cargo of ilmenite sand, iron ore, thermal coal, bauxite, granite, steel coil, aluminium ingots and import cargo of fertilisers, aluminium powder, coal, coke, rock phosphate and foodgrain.

As per report, cargo handling capacity is projected to be 5.6 million tonne in the first year of operations and increase to 8.9 million tonne in the second year. Similarly, it is projected to have a cargo handling capacity of 9.3 million tonne in the third year and 13.5 million tonne in the fourth year. The final cargo handling capacity of 14 million tonne is likely to be achieved by the fifth year of the commissioning of the port.

Following is excerpted from a report in Business Standard.

Thirty six important projects worth Rs 19,800 crore are being implemented by the Orissa government under the public-private-partnership (PPP) mode.

These projects are in the field of new ports, roads, integrated commercial complex, ITIs, tourism projects, integrated residential complex, bus terminals, info park and multi product SEZs among others.

… the important projects taken up for development in PPP mode include

• Rs 3500 crore Shamuka Beach Project
• Rs 562 crore Bhubaneswar-Puri road
• Rs 304 crore Capital Region Ring Road project
• Rs 493 crore integrated residential township at Suango and Ranasinghapur
• International Convention Centre at Bhubaneswar (Rs 480 crore)
• Rs 2469 crore Dhamra port and Rs 1700 crore Gopalpur port
• Rs 594.34 crore Haridaspur-Paradeep broad gauge rail link
• Rs 2000 crore Kirtania port
• Rs 712 crore multi-product SEZ at Paradip are being set up in the PPP mode.

…, the Empowered Committee on Infrastructure (ECI) has cleared

• the proposal for appointment of consultant to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) for the Capital Region Ring Road Project (CRRR)
• the proposal for the feasibility study of the Bhubaneswar-Paradip road with revised concept.
• the issue of Request for Proposal (RFP) for setting up 4/5 five star hotels in the Shamuka Beach near Puri; 11 firms are shortlisted after the Request for Qualification (RFQ)
• the 4 -laning of Sambalpur-Rourkela road to seek the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) assistance from the department of economic affairs (DEA).

The proposal for developing an integrated residential township at Suanga and Ranasinghapur near Bhubaneswar has been placed before the government for approval. 

The other on-going projects include

• Rs 68 crore Palasapanga- Bamberi road,
• Gopalpur port,
• Dhamra Port,
• Rs 480 crore international convention centre at Bhubaneswar,
• Rs 146 crore IT and Corporate Tower (Bhubaneswar),
• Rs 500 crore Info Park (Bhubaneswar),
• Rs 35.67 crore Knowledge park,
• Rs 352 crore SEZ-BPO at Mancheswar,
• Rs 76 crore Commercial and IT Complex at Rourkela.

Following is an excerpt from a report in hospitalitybizindia.com.

Swosti Group is redesigning two of its upcoming resorts according to chartered tourist requirements, since both properties were initially designed for individual and MICE segments. Puri’s Swosti Chandan Spa Resort and the company’s upcoming resort at Chilka, Orissa will undergo a number of redesigning and renovation processes as they target chartered segments (in large numbers), instead of regular tourists.

About this sudden change in plans, S Patnaik, General Manager, Swosti Group, told Hospitalitybiz, “We have experienced a sudden influx of MICE travellers in Bhubaneswar; this has resulted in many hospitality giants commissioning projects in the state capital. Similarly, other places in the state, especially Puri and Chilka, will be ideal to host chartered segments. Moreover, the segment’s favourite Indian destinations like Goa and Kerala are exceeding their carrying capacity; therefore, chartered operators are now looking for other options.”

The number of chartered flights to Puri is increasing from 180 to 250. Hence, Swosti Group is already in talks with leading chartered tour operators in India, who have exhibited an interest in the suggested places and upcoming properties. “Our Puri property was earlier designed with 70 rooms, but the inventory has been hiked to 100 rooms in favour of hosting chartered groups. The Chilka property, which has not been named as yet, will offer 50 cottages to start with, while it will be somewhat experimental with chartered tourists. The Chilka property will upgrade rapidly if it did well with the mentioned segment,” informed Patnaik. Slated to start operations in October 2008, both properties will take another few months to start. “The season for this segment (to visit India) is from October – March 2008,” added Patnaik. He added that even though the company will lose out on most of the season, it wishes to atleast begin catering to some chartered tourists.

On the other changes in terms of architect and design, Patnaik said that both properties will highlight their swimming pool as it is the biggest attraction for the chartered segment. The resorts will be equipped with bigger lawns and additional private areas as the segment does not appreciate external disturbance from other guests. “We are working on the properties’ sloping structures and the proximity of the pools and beaches from the resorts,” informed Patnaik.

…  We are inclining our properties towards chartered tourists as we will be able to provide them with the peace and serenity that they seek.” Swosti Group is also interested in presenting Buddhist tourism to this segment, in a new light.

Following is an excerpt from a news report in Business Standard.

The Orissa government today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Titanium Products Private Limited (TPPL), an Indo-Russian joint venture, for setting up of a Rs 2000 crore integrated titanium complex and sector specific special economic zone (SEZ) at Chhatrapur in Ganjam district.

SM Shroff , chairman of TPPL and the state industry secretary, A P Padhi signed the documents in the presence of chief minister, Naveen Patnaik in the state secretariat.

The company will invest about Rs 2000 crore in two phases. While the first phase will cost about Rs 1200 crore, another Rs 800 crore will be invested in the second phase. The first phase will be completed within a period of 24 months and is likely to be commissioned by October 2010. It will produce 1,08,000 tonnes of titanium slag, 68,000 tonnes of high purity pig iron, 40,000 tonnes of di-oxide pigment and 10,000 tonnes of titanium sponge.

TPPL has already entered into an agreement with the Indian Rare Earth Limited (IREL) for the supply of the raw material Ilminite. The company will require about 2 lakh tonnes of Ilminite annually for its project. India will be the fourth country in the world to have smelting technology required for production of titanium. The products will have applications in the field of aircraft engine, power plants, chemical plants, automobile industry as titanium is light and corrosion resistant.

TPPL will develop a sector specific special economic zone (SEZ) at its plant site for which it has received the in-principle approval from the Centre. However, it will require additional land beyond 250 acres acquired for the titanium complex.

The Orissa government has agreed to supply 65 Mw of power and 3 million gallon per day water for the project.

Speaking on the occasion chief minister Naveen Patnaik  … He said, the project is the anchor industry for a sector specific SEZ for establishment of downstream industries in sectors like high quality paint manufacturing, automotive casting, ductile iron casting, sillicon and zircon based products.

Patnaik said, the upcoming port at Gopalpur and the integrated titanium complex are the foundations for an industrial corridor in southern Orissa. These will further be integrated with the aluminium hinterland in Kalahandi, Koraput anfd Raygada. For the purpose, he has requested the railway ministry to take up the Therubali-Gunupur railway connectivity at the earliest.

Stating that establishment of a quality vocational educational institution offering the most modern trades relevant for the industry will be an important initiative in the skill upgradation of the local youth, Patnaik said, TPPL should explore such possibility. Besides, it should develop partnership with the local technical institutions.