Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MM/AF)

Mangalore, Apr 10: Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) is hopeful of receiving consent from the state pollution board to go ahead with work on the first phase of the project within 10 days, said I S N Prasad, managing director of MSEZ.

Speaking to media persons on Wednesday, April 9, he said that MSEZ has already purchased 1,800 acres of land out of which 33% of the land will be reserved for green belt and 12 to 13% of the land will be used for common facilities like road, customs house, security etc.

MSEZ is looking towards setting up a multi-product SEZ so that employment could be generated at a larger level. The petroleum industries are basically capital intensive industries and they cannot generate much employment like multi-product industries. Therefore, emphasis will be given to IT, food processing, automobile parts, textiles, food processing industries etc. Efforts are on to purchase some more land for the purpose, he informed.

Corridor will be made between NMPT and SEZ which will include road and scope for installing pipeline. Meanwhile, underground crude oil storage tanks will be made in the first phase. The presence of monolithic rocks at the proposed area is helpful for this project which has been the reason for selecting this place for the storage of crude oil which will counter the shortage of oil in emergencies, Prasad said.

Negotiations will be continued with the land owners who are refusing to sell the lands for setting up SEZ. Their lands will be dropped from the SEZ project if they do not come forward to sell them, he clarified.

Sudheer Ghate of Magnum Intergrafiks, A G Pai, COO of MSEZ and K N Prabhu, president of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) were present on the occasion.