Few takers of Himachal industrial plots

With the Central excise package for Himachal Pradesh having expired last year, now it seems few people are keen to invest in the hill state. Officials of the state-run Himachal Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (HPSIDC) said only two plots each of 500 sq metres area were auctioned on Monday. Even as another 17 plots were up for grabs in the upcoming industrial park which falls between Baddi and Nalagarh.

In an effort to attract investors the state government claims to have acquired 426 bighas of land and prepared 121 industrial plots in the proposed industrial park. But only a handful of plots have been sold in the last couple of years, say sources. Last week, the two smallest plots of 500 sq metres were sold while 17 other plots which are 1,000 sq metres to 2,000 sq metres remained unsold.