Hyderabad: The state government has tightened the rules for allotment of land for setting up Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
There are 70 SEZs in the state, mostly promoting IT/ ITES and located on the city’s outskirts, and all were sanctioned by previous Congress governments from 2004 to 2014. After the formation of Telangana State in 2014, the TS government has approved only land allotment in existing SEZs, and has done so with the proviso that the land will be taken back if operations don’t start in three years.
With most land allotments made during the Congress regime stuck in legal disputes or being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the TRS government has adopted a cautious approach to SEZs and land allotments. The TS government itself allotted 35 acres to Tata Advanced Systems in an Aerospace SEZ in Adibatla in September 2014 for manufacturing helicopter cabins.
Another 5.50 acres was allotted to Aurobindo Pharma Ltd in August 2014, five acres to Shilpa Medicare Ltd in January 2015, and 5.10 acres to Shri Kartikeya Pharma Unit in February 2015. These SEZs are operational or in various stages of going operational.
TS has directed district collectors to regularly follow up on the use made of the land allotted and take back land if operations failed to start within a stipulated period of time, and include such land parcels in the land bank for future allotment.
