Bengal SEZ plan of JSW gets go-ahead...

The government today cleared JSW Bengal Steel’s proposed special economic zone along with 26 other projects.

The Board of Approval, chaired by commerce secretary G.K. Pillai, gave formal approval to 17 SEZ proposals and in-principle clearance to 10.

Bharat Forge’s SEZ near Pune spread over 1,271 hectares and involving an investment of Rs 5,000 crore got the green signal from the board.

JSW Bengal Steel’s SEZ at Salboni in West Midnapore district will be set up across 1,804 hectares at an investment of Rs 15,321 crore.

JSW Bengal will set up a 10-million-tonne plant along with a power and cement unit. Financial closure for the first phase of the project is over.

Earlier, JSW Steel vice-chairman Sajjan Jindal had said construction for the project would start in the first week of November. The plant will go on stream by 2011-12, and its cost will be Rs 9,800 crore

Larsen and Toubro’s Rs 1,665-crore heavy engineering SEZ in Tamil Nadu has got an in-principle approval.

Other projects to get in-principle approval include an airport-based multi-product SEZ in Himachal Pradesh by Skil Infrastructure Limited, a textile SEZ in Punjab by Ishan Developers & Infrastructure and an auto component project in Gujarat by SPG Infrastructure.

The proposals to get formal approval include an IT project in Haryana by Orient Craft Infrastructure and an aluminium SEZ in Andhra Pradesh by Anrak Aluminium.

The government has so far given formal approvals to 513 SEZs, of which 250 have been notified and 87 zones have become operational.

Source: The Telegraph