Citizens’ Research Collective on SEZ

Vijaywada, November 15, 2007: A high-level team that visited Krishna district on Wednesday and Thursday to select the location for an “exclusive value-added marine products Special Economic Zone (SEZ)” tentatively finalised a site of 260 acres in the limits of Karagraharam village near Machilipatnam from a list of a few shortlisted places.

Commissioner for Fisheries Arvind Kumar told The Hindu on Thursday that the inspection was “fruitful”. Representatives of the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS), one of India’s leading infrastructure development and finance companies, inspected the land earmarked for the SEZ. They were favourable to it because the land was entirely owned by the Government. The representatives of the firm held meetings with the officials of the Airports Authority of India, the railways and the A.P. Southern Power Distribution Company Limited and received positive feedback from all of them.

Being an SEZ specifically for marine products, it would be the only one of its kind on the east coast and all marine export units would have to be located here in the future as per the provisions of the SEZ Act, 2005, the Commissioner said.

Source: The Hindu