Hyderabad-Nagpur industrial corridor plan kindles hopes in North Telangana

Hyderabad: People of north Telangana districts are eagerly waiting for the development of Hyderabad-Nagpur Industrial Corridor (HNIC) hoping for a significant impact on employment generation and immense economic development. The state government proposed HNIC on the lines of Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, covering a length of 585-km between Hyderabad and Nagpur.

The project aims to explore the central location of Nagpur, which is proposed as a multi-modal international cargo hub and Hyderabad which is a major IT and manufacturing destination. After the formation of Telangana state, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government proposed the HNIC in 2014. Both the TRS and the BJP governments came to power for a second term in the 2018 and 2019 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, but no progress was achieved in the project.

Chief Minister K .Chandrashekar Rao during his visit to Delhi last September requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sanction the HNIC immediately. He sought the Centre to sanction the project, stating that it would boost employment and economic aspects in less developed regions.

Earlier, north Telangana districts were unable to tap industrial growth citing the law and order problems. Due to movement of CPI-Maoists, no industrialist came forward to set up their business in these areas. Existing industries also faced difficulty to survive. A few industries in north Telangana districts were forced to shut their operations due to various reasons. In view of the changed scenario in the state, especially in undivided Medak, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Adilabad districts, setting up of new industries is need of the hour. In this context, the state took up preliminary assessment of potential industrial corridor in the state with an objective to create a strong economic base, supported by a quality infrastructure that drives the investment climate and promotes the economic development of the region. The proposed corridor will be connected through high-speed passenger and freight rail connectivity between Hyderabad and Nagpur and also by six or eight laning of the existing National Highway (NH) 44 between Hyderabad and Nagpur. About 50 kilometres on either side of the corridor is considered as immediate influence areas. This is well connected by air and also the proposed City Gas Distribution (CGD) network line, which will be an added advantage for the HNIC. It is estimated that the combined population of 40 million in both Telangana and Maharashtra states would be benefitted by the project.

High impact and market-driven nodes are proposed to be identified along the corridor to provide transparent and investment-friendly policy or facility regimes under which Integrated Investment Regions (IRs) and Industrial Areas (IAs) would be established. For instance, undivided Medak, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Adilabad districts will be well benefitted with the HNIC. People are hopeful that the State and the Central governments will initiate steps to materialise the HNIC. Interestingly, BJP MPs Bandi Sanjay Kumar of Karimnagar, Dharmapuri Arvind in Nizamabad and Soyam Bapu Rao from Adilabad represent the proposed HNIC areas in the state.