Paradip: Though thousands of acres were acquired by IDCO here and afterward they were allotted to various industrial houses so that they can set up units, most of the land is being used for purposes other than industries, a report said.
While a few small and medium scale industries have been set up in Paradip Industrial Estate, many promoters have either constructed temporary houses and put them on rent or used it as scrap godowns.
According to official records, eight big industries and 49 MSME units are functioning on the periphery of the port in Paradip, considered the economic doorway of the state. However, apart from eight industries (ice factories and prawn processing units), none of the 49 units functions in reality, it was learnt.
For example, several acres have been given on annual rent basis to contracted firms who are engaged by bigger industries like Paradip Phosphates Limited (PPL) or IFFCO. A few of them have set up asbestos houses or container sheds and rented them to the company staff. With the value of land shooting up by the day, in the Port City, many industries use their surplus land to store their scraps and old vehicles, it was learnt.
According to reports, land in Paradip is being sold at Rs1 crore per acre at present while it was Rs19 lakh per acre in 2008. Prior to that, the price was something between Rs1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per acre. The promoters have also availed significant subsidy on land price by applying for land through district industries centre (DIC). But instead of setting up industries, they used it to promote other trade or kept it vacant.
IDCO had acquired 2,295 acres in 1982 for the establishment of PPL, a joint fertilizer unit between India and Nauru . At that time private land was acquired at Rs350 per acre in Paradip, according to some senior citizens of the city.
According to law, the applicant should set up its project within two years of acquiring the land which is not followed by many.
Though it has been over 35 years since the establishment of the plant, PPL has so far used only 1,000 acres of the total acquired land. Rest 1,295 acres have been lying unused in the name of proposed expansion plan.
On the other hand, fate of several projects including a base for Indian Navy, plastic parks, POSCO and rehabilitation and resettlement of slum dwellers is hanging in balance due to a land crunch.
When contacted, PPL’s DGM Gatikrushna Acharya said public hearing for expansion project has been completed. The work would begin after obtaining pollution and forest clearances. Idco’s land acquisition officer KC Das said some people have taken land on lease to set up small industries but failed. They move court when they were served notices while a few others buy time in the name of obtaining forest and pollution clearances. In such a scenario, it becomes difficult to get back the land, Das added. PNN
