Navi Mumbai to get a World Trade Centre

Navi Mumbai, spread across Thane and Raigad districts on the mainland in Maharashtra, will get its own independent World Trade Centre, a top official announced here Thursday.

"The World Trade Centres Association places special emphasis on the development of the Asia-Pacific region. Presently, there are nearly 340 WTCs in over 100 countries with a global membership of one million. We intend to expand our activity in the Asia-Pacific region with emphasis on India and China," WTCA vice president of Asia-Pacific, Scott Wang, said here.

Announcing the WTC Navi Mumbai, Wang said that Mumbai being the commercial and financial capital of India holds an aura of prominence in its trade promotion activities through the 31-storey WTC complex at Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai.

"WTC Mumbai is a premier organisation of the WTC movement, setting an example to many through its trade promotion activities and services, and housing more than 500 companies involved in trade promotion," Wang said.

Ashish Raheja, managing director of Raheja Universal which is promoting the WTC Navi Mumbai, said the company would develop economic zones comprising hospitality centres, healthcare, industrial parks and trade houses over a 137-acre complex.

"It will be part of an overall complex housing nearly 1,200 MSMEs to be operational by 2016-2017," Raheja said of WTC Navi Mumbai which will soon have a new world standard international airport and shall be connected to Mumbai through the upcoming Mumbai Trans Harbour Link.

WTCA New York director and vice chairman WTC Mumbai Vijay Kalantri said the WTC Mumbai was a vision of Bharat Ratna Sir M. Visvesvaraya to support international trade and business for the country.

"WTC Mumbai holds more than 60 exhibitions and trade conferences annually, runs a training institute which has benefited around 5000 students. We have operationalised WTC Bhubaneshwar and soon WTC Jaipur and WTC Goa shall also commence operations," Kalantri said.

Mumbai had got the first WTC in 1971 and presently there are 18 WTCs across India, including New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Bhubaneshwar, Kochi and other cities, WTC Mumbai executive director Y. R. Warerkar told IANS.