Engg cluster at Nashik soon

The commerce ministry has approved the proposal of Nashik Industrial Co-operative Estate (NICE) to set up an engineering cluster at Nashik under the Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme.

A special purpose vehicle "" Nashik Engineering Cluster "" has been formed with NICE president Vikram Sarda as chairman and commissioner of Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) Vilas Thakur as vice-chairman.

Informing about the project, Sarada said, "Around 1,650 engineering and electrical industries are scattered in and around Nashik. Considering the strong base of engineering and electrical industries here and with an aim to make local small-scale industries (SSIs) globally competitive, NICE took the initiative of forming the engineering cluster."

The project, to cost Rs 67 crore, would come up on 4 acres with a built-up area of 100,000 sft in Ambad areas of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. It is expected to be completed in one year. Of the Rs 67 crore, the Centre will provide Rs 50 crore, while NICE and NMC will contribute Rs 9.26 crore and Rs 8 crore, respectively.

The cluster would provide facilities including CAD/CAM/CAE centre, rapid prototyping, CNC machining centre, specialised heat treatment, testing facility, calibration centre and common facilities. The CAD/CAM/CAE training centre would start within two months in the NICE premises.