Hyundai In Plans For Workers Township

Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMI), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company, Korea, is exploring the possibilities of developing a full-fledged township close to its Sriperumbudur plant site near the city.

The township is being considered to house the 3,000-odd workers that the company proposes to employ in about three years.

About 1,700 workers are being recruited this year alone for the Rs 2,300-crore fully integrated car plat that HMI is setting up.

Commercial production at the plant is expected to start in October this year.

"We are considering such a proposal and a few interested companies have made some presentations. We will take a final decision later,'' HMI's managing director Yang Soo Kim told Business Standard.

 

HMI's Sriperumbudur plant is located about 45 km from the city and daily transportation of the workers could be a major issue.

Mahindra Ford's plant coming up at Maraimalai Nagar, about 40 km from the city, also faces the same problem.

These two companies apart, a whole lot of auto ancillary units are also located in the Sriperumbudur-Maraimalai Nagar region.

The government is also exploring the possibilities of linking the two emerging automobile centers to the city through a railway link, it is learnt.

"The township may not be necessary if the railway link comes up," HMI sources said. "We are still in the process of evaluating the feasibility of a large township,'' they added.

Though HMI's proposal is still on the drawing boards, it is unlikely to make a major investment in the project. Instead, it may prefer to lease out the facilities developed by a third party.

A few companies in the private sector have already shown interest in developing and leasing out such a township project to HMI.