Master plan for Gopalpur SEZ by April

The master plan for the multi-product special economic zone (SEZ) of Tata Steel at Gopalpur in south Odisha's Ganjam district, is likely to be ready by April 2015. Singapore-based consultant Jurong is preparing the master plan for the SEZ.

"We hope the master plan of the SEZ will be ready by April and then we will proceed further for its notification. The SEZ is likely to start functioning from 2016-17," said Arun Mishra, vice-president, Gopalpur project of Tata Steel.

An expert team of the consultant had visited the proposed SEZ and industrial park few months back. The team had also visited Arjipalli, the site of the Gopalpur port.

Meanwhile, Tata Steel has applied for extending the validity of the SEZ that expired on December 31, 2014. "We have applied for it and the SEZ's validity is likely to be extended," he said.

Besides the SEZ, Tata Steel will also develop the industrial park in the area which aims to attract investment of Rs 10,000-15,000 crore.

The steel major aims to set up Asia's largest ferrochrome complex (FCC) of 300,000 tonne per annum (tpa) at a single location at the proposed industrial park. In the first phase, the company is setting up 55,000 tpa high carbon ferrochrome plant with an investment of around Rs 400 crore as the anchor investor in the industrial park.

"The work on the ferrochrome plant is going on and it is expected to be commissioned by July 2015," Mishra said.

As many as 656 core families and 989 extended families of at least five villages near Gopalpur were displaced in 1996, when the steel giant acquired around 2,970 acres of land for setting up a shore-based mega steel plant. While the families of Sindhigaon, Badapaur, Patrapur, Kalipalli and Paikapada were displaced from their homes, families of other eight villages lost their farm land.

Later, Tata Steel shelved the steel project and decided to set up an industrial park and multi-product SEZ. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the industrial park in August 2010.

The park is likely to attract downstream investments in sectors like auto components, gems & jewellery, apparel, speciality chemicals, ores and minerals processing, logistics and warehousing and marine food processing.