Citizens’ Research Collective on SEZ

The Board of Approvals of Special Economic Zones, on January 2, 2008, gave formal approvals to 24 SEZs and in-principle approvals to four others. This takes the total number of SEZs approved by BoA to 404, out of which 187 have been notified. A total of Rs 52,193 crore has been invested in these SEZs, a government release said.

Among those to which formal approval has been granted are: Sail Salem SEZ Pvt. Ltd (steel products, Tamil Nadu); Best & Crompton Engineering Ltd (electronic hardware, Tamil Nadu); Unitech Hi-tech Projects Pvt. Ltd (IT/ITES, Uttar Pradesh); Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (multi-product, Andhra Pradesh); Gwalior Agricultural Co. (multi-services, Madhya Pradesh); and Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Corporation Ltd (IT/ITES, Uttar Pradesh).

In particular, Steel Authority of India Ltd and IL&FS Infrastructure Development Company Ltd have floated a joint venture, Salem Steel SEZ Pvt, Ltd, to develop a steel-specific SEZ in Tamil Nadu. The proposal received BoA’s formal approval on January 2. Speaking to Projectmonitor, a Sail spokesperson said the two partners would have equal holding in the JV. The SEZ will come up at Salem adjoining the Salem Steel Plant of Sail. The latter will provide land and will play the role of an anchor tenant that would supply steel to prospective units in the SEZ which will manufacture architectural facades, railway applications, dairy plants, chemical and pharmaceutical plants, tubes and pipes, auto components, elevator panels etc.

Source: Project Monitor, January 7-13, 2008