Bhubaneswar: Union Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan sought the intervention of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for allotting 75 acres of land at Bhadrak for Indian Oil’s dream textile project for manufacturing polyester yarn.
In his letter, the Union Petroleum Minister wrote, “I must firmly reiterate that Indian Oil’s Polyester yarn unit at Bhadrak will revolutionise the industrial landscape of Odisha in view of immense scope for upcoming numerous MSME downstream units, offering huge employability and hence herald a new era of Bhadrak emerging as ‘Surat of the East’. Non-cooperation from the state government would deprive Odisha from this opportunity, which would in all likelihood, shift to a more ‘industry-friendly’ state.”
The letter further states, “The Bhadrak Textile Project was initiated by Indian Oil through an MoU signed in presence of Shree Sashibhushan Behera, Honourable Finance Minister, Govt of Odisha and Shree Prafullo Samal, Honourable Minister for MSME, Govt of Odisha and myself on 16.11.2017 to develop the project.”
It also mentions, “Indian Oil applied to IPICOL on 19.04.2018 through Single Window Portal for 35 acre land, based on preliminary assessment. On 19.06.2018, In-Principle approval was accorded to Indian Oil by IPICOL for allotment of 35 acres land at Bhadrak. IndianOil completed a feasibility study of the Project in August 2018 through a consultant M/s Chemtex Bengaluru. Based on the feasibility study, the land requirement worked out to 75 acres with Project cost of Rs 1,971 crores. Subsequently, an application was submitted on 10.08.2018 to IPICOL for allotment of additional 40 acres contiguous land at Bhadrak as total land requirement was revised to 75 acres. Clarification solicited from IPICOL was adequately replied on 23.08.2018 and several follow ups have been made for allotment of 75 acres land.”
Pradhan in the letter said that work has been put on hold for want of ‘non-availability of approval of the textile project from competent authority of Odisha Government’. Hence he would like the Chief Minister to look into the matter and expedite it as quickly as possible.
PNN