SEZs may not take off in Uttarakhand

A couple of proposed special economic zones (SEZs), both in private and government sectors, in Uttarakhand may not see the light of day mainly due to unfavourable market conditions.

Though Parsvanath and other private players have discarded their SEZ proposals, the state government is also not too keen in this regard. Officials here claimed that private players are not finding market conditions conducive to setting up of SEZs. Parsavanath was building SEZ at Sahastradhara Raod here.

The government is also yet to enact its own SEZ Act and take a final call on its proposed SEZs at Sitarganj and Dehra Dun. Already, it has shelved its proposal to build an SEZ at Pantnagar. For preparing the draft SEZ Act, a committee was set up under the additional chief secretary. But so far the committee has failed to take shape and hold a meeting.

 

The State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIDCUL) is also not keen to develop SEZs both at Sitarganj and Dehra Dun. “In the last meting of SIDCUL Board, we decided not to go ahead with our SEZ in Dehra Dun,” said a government official.

According to top officials, there is a need to study SEZ rules in other states and adopt a suitable model for the hill state in the wake of SEZ controversies various parts of the country.