The Hindu Business Line : Orissa plans law for fast project approvals

The proposed Act is in the pipeline and is expected to see the light of the day "in the months ahead", according to Mr Priyabrata Patnaik, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa Ltd (Ipicol).

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Patnaik said the proposed Act would ensure that investors are not required to run from one department to another to obtain statutory permissions and clearances - such as from the sales tax department and pollution control board.

"The Act will ensure that the over-zealousness of different agencies to protect their own turf does not come in the way of time-bound clearances of projects," he said, adding that it would facilitate better co-ordination between these agencies as well.

According to him, various projects envisaging a cumulative investment of Rs 30,000 crore would be implemented in the State within the next 3-5 years. Given Orissa's mineral wealth, investors were keen to invest in steel, aluminium and ferro chrome units in the State. A couple of dozen new steel plants with a cumulative capacity of 10 million tonnes per annum would be set up. From the new projects, 0.5 m.t. of steel would be produced in the current calendar year itself. Thereafter, two m.t. of steel production would be added each subsequent year. Ten new sponge iron units envisaging an investment of Rs 700 crore were also in the pipeline. When complete, all these units together would provide direct and indirect employment to over 50,000 people and generate tax revenue to the tune of Rs 7,000 crore per annum.

The State Government has taken several initiatives to improve infrastructure facilities. Since the Paradip port has become quite congested, Gopalpur was being developed as an all-weather port. Dhamra was also being developed as a major port. The steel hub of Dhubri would feed the ports at Paradip and Dhamra. "Ports will be the hubs of industrialisation in the days ahead. Since Orissa has a 480 km coastline, it is only appropriate that the ports infrastructure here is well developed," Mr Patnaik said. The issue of better air connectivity and railway infrastructure has already been taken up with appropriate authorities, he said.

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