Cosmo Biofuels yet to get land for MP project

New Delhi-based Cosmo Biofuels, which had signed a memorandum of understanding with the MP government during Khajuraho Investors Meet this year for the project, has not yet been offered land for its Rs 30.79 crore bio-diesel project. The company had demanded 2,512 hectares last year.

The state cabinet, on recommendation of the collector of Shivpuri district, has offered almost half of the required land for the project only for a period of two years on license basis, although a policy has been announced in this regard.

While the Madhya Pradesh State Agro Industries Development Corporation, an entity of Madhya Pradesh agriculture department has offered an area of 1486.47 hectares of non-forest unutilized non-cultivable land to the firm.

"The company has yet to submit a detailed project report," a government spokesperson said. The district of Shivpuri has a total non-forest unutilized non-agriculture area of 12,835 hectares.

The company will set up a bio-diesel plant in Shivpuri district. The plant will have a capacity of 30 tonnes per day. The raw material "� Jatropha will be planted on a land area of 2512 hectares, However the state government has yet to collect more information on non-forest unutilized non-farm land from allover the state.

A concept of creating a land bank had been floated recently in a hurried manner to make the information available to the potential investors in the area.

In absence proper coordination from government machinery Madhya Pradesh is putting two bio-diesel projects in jeopardy and creating maximum risk for agriculture land..

Another firm India Biofules is reportedly running from pillar to post to gather information on land availability.

"The company has been asked to gather details on information regarding availability of land," a government insider told BS adding, "only patwaris and tehsildars are main source of information and the land revenue department has no consolidated information on availability of cultivable and non-cultivable land."

"We are gathering information from district collectors to form a land bank, so that in future we should have a ready information on land availability," Pukhraj Maru principal secretary department of revenue told BS