The Jawahar Autonagar, once the largest cluster of automobile industries in Asia, is facing the threat of extinction and one among the many reasons is lack of modernisation.
There seems to be a ray of hope as Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) Vijayawada Auto Cluster Development Company, which was promoted to develop the zone, has a few projects lined up to improve its facilities. Jawahar Autonagar and Kanuru Autonagar will shortly get a trade centre, Common Critical Machine Centre (CCMC) and Common Testing Centre (CTC) at a cost of Rs.11 crore.
Ever since the autonagar was established in 1966, it never got the desired support from the Government, said SPV Chairman cum Managing Director V. Rajendra Prasad.
On the future projects, he told The Hindu that a 22,000 sft. trade centre will come up at a cost of Rs.2.51 crores, a CCMC and CTC is being set up at a cost of Rs.6.58 crore and Rs.2.5 crore, respectively. About 80 per cent of the work has been completed on these three projects. The CCMC will contain modern machines such as turret punch press, shearing machine and rapid prototype machine.
This will remove the technology backwardness for the units in the Autonagar. In a couple of months we shall have them ready, said Mr. Prasad.
