Land acquired for 'land bank' in Bathinda

The proposed land bank to attract industries from other states land belongs to farmers willing to sell their land

Having identified 200 acres of land in the vicinity of Guru Gobind Singh Refinery, an HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) project in Bathinda that would attract tertiary industry, the district industry department has further identified 1,500 acres to create land bank for industry. The land belongs to farmers who have expressed their consent to sell their land. According to officials, the land bank would help the state attract industries from other states, as acquisition process and high land costs in the state act as deterrent for investors.

Speaking to Business Standard, a senior official in the Industry department mentioned that on the directives of the state government, the department had identified 1,500 acres of land and submitted its report to the industry department for future course of action. Insiders mentioned that the state may acquire these land to create land bank for the Industry and to boost industrialization in the area. He mentioned that the department is getting queries from industrialists. In order to assist them, the government has identified land and may acquire in near future.

 

He further mentioned that Ludhiana-based Sportking Group is setting up spinning unit with an investment of Rs 300 crore and also has plans to set up a dyeing unit. Besides that, south based fertilizer manufacturing firm has expressed interest in setting up fertiliser unit.

It is pertinent to mention here that the inauguration of Rs 21,500 crore Guru Gobind Singh Refinery in Bathinda last month may play a pivotal role in attracting plastic and other industries in the state. According to HMEL officials involved with the commissioning of the refinery, Punjab may see mushrooming of polypropylene based downstream industry and has a potential to attract an investment to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore. The Polypropylene granules are mainly used by plastic industry such as woven sack and film units as main raw material in manufacturing of plastic items like buckets, mugs, toys, plastic furniture, casing of electrical equipment, wrapping films etc.

The only refinery in Punjab will be one of the few refineries in the country, which will have the capacity to produce 4.40 lakh metric tonnes of polypropylene besides producing LPG, naphtha, petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, pet coke etc.

Further stating that the cities like Bathinda, Ludhiana,, Banur and Lalru being seen as most attractive locations for the setting up of polypropylene based industry, about 50-60 per cent of the total produce is expected to be consumed in Northern states only. So, the state government’s decision to set up industrial park in the vicinity of the refinery is very forward looking step in this direction.