Hyderabad: Work on the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) in Medak has been delayed as the land acquisition in not complete.
The project is planned over 12,600 acres, of which the state government has to acquire 3,500 acres in the first phase and submit details to the Centre by the month-end to claim financial assistance. However, the state government has managed to acquire only 2,300 acres.
About 3,800 acres of the 12,600 acres identified for NIMZ is government land and the rest is in private hands, necessitating acquisition at a higher cost.
The NIMZ is expected to attract investments of Rs 17,300 crore and provide direct employment to 2.61 lakh people. NIMZs are mega ind-ustrial zones or integrated townships with world-class supporting infrastructure.
Units meant for the zone include those into engineering goods, defence and aerospace, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics and telecom hardware.
Though the project was announced by the UPA government in 2013, it could not take off since the final approval by the Centre’s department of industrial policy and promotion was pending for nearly three years. Final approval was accorded only in January 2016.
The Centre had announced a Rs 1,000-crore grant for the first phase, which would be released if land acquisition was complete.
Industries minister Jupally Krishna Rao said, “The NIMZ has been delayed due to the negligence of the previous Congress government in undivided AP. They sat on the project for two years. The land acquisition was speeded up only after the TRS government came to power. We have acquired 2,300 acres within a month. The balance 1,200 acres would be acquired within two weeks.”
The government has been purchasing the land directly from owners. For patta lands, it has been paying Rs 5.65 lakh per acre and for assigned lands up to Rs 4 lakh. Cheques worth over Rs 150 crore has been handed over to owners so far.
The entire 3,500 acres for first phase is being acquired in five villages in the two mandals of Nyalakal, Jharasangam. Mr Rao said the process to acquire another 3,500 acres for the second phase would begin in April.
