For a government that is backing a more balanced economic development model, the data can be handy. “This (the... Read More

NEW DELHI: A first of its kind initiative by the government to map industrial estates , parks and coastal and special economic zones (SEZs) has revealed that 1,850 such projects owned by the Centre and states are spread over four lakh hectare or 4,000 square kilometre -which is 2.7 times the area of Delhi or over nine times the size of greater Mumbai.

And, this number will only go up as the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) readies the Industrial Information System to locate all such industrial parks and zones across the country to not just help policymakers plan but also enable investors to identify possible location of their new facilities, vacant land on offer, indicative price, concessions and benefits along with details of farm produce and natural resources on offer. In any case, currently, the data does not capture units or zones in the private sector, many of which are spread over enormous chunks of land.

The numbers provided by a large number of states so far have shown that Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan top the list in terms of number of such projects, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. In terms of area, Gujarat and Maharashtra are way ahead, accounting for a sizeable chunk of the land, but officials told TOI that these are early days as other states are updating their data.

The current data also showed that the key sectors in these zones and parks included textiles, food processing, engineering, automobiles and software.

For a government that is backing a more balanced economic development model, the data can be handy. “This (the Industrial Information System) can also lead to a healthy competition among states to attract investment. Provision is being made to add a layer of raw material availability and capture demand side also,“ said an official.

Over the years, the Centre as well as states have propelled several schemes where projects have been launched in an attempt to create clusters or offer tax concessions within a dedicated area. But several projects, including some of the SEZs that were set up decades ago as export processing zones still have surplus land even as new enclaves come up.

Given the pressure on land acquisition and relief and rehabilitation, an attempt is being made to use the resources more efficiently and in the process help industry .

Sources said the idea is to get states to provide real-time information on the status of applications for land allotment, which will enable investment in the future.

