M'lore SEZ gets formal approval

The Mangalore SEZ project has got a formal approval from the 'Board of Approval', according to MSN Prasad, CEO, Mangalore SEZ Ltd.

Participating in an interactive meet at the Kanara Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) here, Prasad said 1,721 of the required 2,500 acres of land have been acquired for the purpose. The board was confident of completing the procedural formalities by December this year for the commencement of a 'multi-product SEZ', he said.

Stressing that the project was initiated to explore the 'maximum employment potential', Prasad said, 'environmental and social concerns' would be given due importance during the course of its implementation. Getting approvals from the Ministry of Environment was not an easy task as thought of in some circles, he said.

A job per family displaced, compensation in toto to the tune of Rs 21 lakh per acre acquired, training programmes to nearly 650 affected Karnataka Polytechnic students of nearly Rs 4 crore, constituted the best rehabilitation package.

Investments to the tune of nearly Rs 13,000 crore by ONGC had got approval, and many other downstream projects were on the anvil. Nearly 23 per cent of the land acquired came under the 'agriculture' category and 1,800 families had to be rehabilitated.

"Emphasis had been laid on acquiring the land more to the east and north of MRPL to minimise the number of people to be displaced," he added.