Rourkela: The Western Corridor, which has been planned to invite investments in MSME and large industries, is certainly an ambitious and encouraging initiative by the state government. However, entrepreneurs here have mixed feelings about the initiative. “IPICOL ED Mohanty and the Chief Secretary had been to Chhattisgarh to woo investors there but, what about us? No one bothers about homegrown entrepreneurs who have the capability to take up good projects.
So far, there is hardly any interaction with us regarding this,” said one of the industrialists here who has units in Chhattisgarh and is now planning to set up another in Jharkhand. The government has made some grandiose announcements regarding the Western Corridor in its advertisements. “There will be 15 nodal points on either side of the Biju Expressway from Rourkela to Malkangiri. The nodal points will be known as industrial parks. And our sole objective is to attract investors in thrust areas.
Apart from the mineral-based industries, the thrust area has opportunities for all. But, one can set downstream units of the mineral-based plants. Anyone setting up units here will get all the benefits for up to ten years,” said IPICOL ED KC Mohanty over the phone from Bhubaneswar. This corridor boasts of 3,000-acre industry-ready lands available along this stretch of expressway spanning nine districts.
As per IPR 2020, all incentives are applicable in this zone. There will be a 30 per cent subsidy on capital investment in plant and machinery, 100 per cent net SGST reimbursement limited to 300 per cent of the cost of plant and machinery, Rs 2 per unit reimbursement of power cost, and above all 100 per cent reimbursement towards the employer’s contribution towards ESI and EPF.
Many of the businessmen with whom OrissaPOST spoke had their biggest reservations about land availability in the Sundargarh district. “This corridor has a stretch of nearly 100 kilometres inside Sundargarh but where is the land? The IDCO no longer has adequate land within the district and along this stretch, very less,” another industrialist informed. Even the president of the Rourkela Chamber of Commerce and Industries Sunil Kayal said, “The entire concept seems to be very impressive and alluring. There is no gainsaying the fact that the government is serious about this side of the state. But for Sundargarh, land is a big issue. Something has to be done to relax the laws for land or else it will be challenging.”