IT SEZ planned in Chennai
It will be set up on 25 acres in front of TIDEL Park May come up where Film City was located
25 acres in front of TIDEL Park .Convention centre, hotel proposed
Chennai: A special economic zone for the information technology sector, comprising a convention centre of international standards and a five-star hotel, may come up at Taramani if the State Government approves the idea.
The proposal, mooted by the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), envisages establishment of a SEZ for the IT and IT-Enabled Services on 25 acres in front of TIDEL Park. It will come up where the Film City was located earlier.
Once the Government clears the idea, TIDCO will invite tenders, says an official spokesperson.
The convention centre and a five-star hotel have been proposed, as the SEZ norms for the IT sector provide for earmarking 50 per cent of the land for non-processing purposes.
A couple of factors have weighed with the authorities while choosing the site. Other than the Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam (near here), there is no convention centre in the city.
The site will prove convenient to those in the city as well as those who have to come from the southern end of the Old Mamallapuram Road, known as the IT corridor.
TIDCO has also proposed another SEZ for the IT and ITES behind the TICEL (the TIDCO Centre for Life Sciences) Bio Park. This will have an area of 2.5 million square feet, double the size of the TIDEL Park. The TIDCO will shortly float bids to identify a partner, says the spokesperson. For these two projects, the nod of the Board of Approval for SEZ is required. The authorities do not foresee any problem, as land is readily available.
In addition, TIDCO is promoting some more SEZ projects, including those in Ennore, Nanguneri, Hosur and Perambalur.
As for the Ennore project, land transfer is yet to take place. Three thousand acres identified there belong to the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries. In the past, saltpans occupied the area. The Centre's formal orders on land transfer are expected shortly, the spokesperson says. The authorities have initiated steps to provide road and rail access to the SEZ site. A sum of Rs. 26 crore will be spent. Work on the preparation of a master plan is nearing completion.
In the case of Nanguneri, a master plan is getting ready. Four hundred more acres have been acquired by the project promoters besides 2,100 acres made available by the TIDCO six years ago.
The final clearance of the Board of Approval is needed for the Ennore and Nanguneri projects, both of which may cover sectors such as auto ancillary, textiles, finished leather, light engineering and pharmaceuticals. As for Hosur and Perambalur, TIDCO is identifying partners — a process that is likely to be completed in a couple of months. In Perambalur, the district administration has started land acquisition.
TIDCO hastransferred Rs. 3 crore to the Collector as the first instalment. For Hosur, the State Government's order is expected soon for initiating the process. No agricultural lands or those comprising habitation will be touched. Only dry lands, that too lying shallow, will be acquired, the spokesperson adds.
Source:The Hindu
