Bengal auto park set to start next year

The ongoing turmoil in the global automobile sector is affecting the planning for the proposed Bengal Integrated Auto Park at Guptamani near Kharagpur. However, the construction of the project which had been conceived last year was expected to commence next year.

The Auto Park, a joint venture between the West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBIIDC) and Bengal Srei Infrastructure Development Ltd, will be developed over 500 acres including a 250-acre auto SEZ.

“The planning process is underway and we are yet to determine the exact split between component manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers and the anchor. Since the automobile industry globally is unsettled, our planners are exploring the mix between domestic and export oriented units to be set up at the park,” WBIIDC Chairman Sumanata Chaudhuri said here today. He was speaking on the sidelines of a CII seminar.

Chaudhuri said that Jurong Consultants India had been roped in to prepare the master plan for the project, but declined to divulge further details. “We have already started the direct purchase of land at Guptamani. The construction work will only start in 2010,” he added.

However, Chairman and Managing Director Hemant Kanoria of Srei — which is the JV partner in Bengal Srei Infrastructure Development along with West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) — said that the initial report by Jurong would be submitted by the end of October and firms would be approached to set-up shop at the park early next year.