Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Yeleru water for units in APSEZ

VISAKHAPATNAM: Water for units at AP Special Economic Zone developed by AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) at Atchyutapuram will be supplied through a pipeline from Yeleru canal.

Disclosing this to reporters on Monday evening, APIIC Chief Engineer and officiating Executive Director K.V.V. Sathi Reddi said the pipeline would have a length of 25 km.

He said infrastructure like internal roads, drainage and power supply had been put in place in the SEZ, the largest multi-product SEZs in the country, with an investment of Rs.500 crores.

For the APSEZ, 5,500 acres had been acquired. For Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, the APIIC had allotted 2,100 acres for setting up its first unit outside Mumbai and for a Greenfield refinery by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and other members of the consortium, 1500 acres had been allotted, he said.

On the land allotment policy for units coming up in SEZs, he denied the talk that land was being given at a throwaway price to the investors in the SEZs and pointed out that apart from one-time payment, lease rental was being collected every year.

To a question, he said Uniparts India Limited, which commissioned its operations at APSEZ on Monday, was given 30 acres at the rate of Rs. 2.95 lakh per acre. The lease had been given for 30 years.

Asked to comment on allotment of land for Apparel Park being developed by Brandix with SEZ status on payment of Re.1 per acre and the strictures passed on by CAG, he said it was the decision of the government mainly aimed at creating employment opportunity to locals.

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