DLF lines up Rs 10,000 cr for Punjab

Rs 800-cr SEZ coming up in Amritsar

The DLF group will invest Rs 10,000 crore in Punjab to develop retail malls, a special economic zone, and shopping centres in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Amritsar and other cities in the state over the next five to eight years.

"In the first phase of infrastructure development, we are going to start work on an SEZ in Amritsar, spread over 1,000 acres, with an investment of Rs 800 crore," DLF Info City Developers (Kolkata) Ltd Managing Director Yogesh Verma told Business Standard.

''The MoU with the government will be signed very soon and at the pace work is going on, it will be the first SEZ to take off in the country,'' Verma said, adding that the company wanted the centre of religion to be centre for trade also.

Asking why Amritsar could not be an international hub for trade when Lahore was one, Verma said, "Along with the project there will be industrial investment of around Rs 4000-Rs 5,000 crore."

The Amritsar SEZ will be divided into four phases ---- textile and garment sector, energy, food processing and a free-trade zone.

The company is also planning another SEZ in one of the industrial townships of Phagwara, Jallandhar and Ludhiana.

Elaborating on another project in Ludhiana, Verma said, "In Ludhiana, we will be coming up with a captive power plant of 5000 Mw on an area of 2500 acres with an investment of Rs 4,000 crore."

"DLF is trying to change the picture of Punjab. Currently, DLF has around 100 million square feet currently under construction across the country and has identified almost 250 million square feet for various other developments," he added.