The process of setting up Karnataka’s first ‘plastic park’ in Mangaluru has gained momentum with the State government identifying 96 acres of land for phase 1 of the project and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) ready to supply the raw material.
The government is prepared to provide 96 acres of Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) land at Ganjimutt, off Mangaluru, for the park, and 32 entrepreneurs have shown interest in opening units there, said Gokuldas Nayak, Joint Director of the Industries and Commerce Department.
The sole petroleum refinery in the State, MRPL, has abundant raw material (polypropylene), up to 440,000 tonnes, to set in production, said MRPL managing director H. Kumar.
The department is trying make the park a cluster so as to get a grant (of about ₹40 crore) from the Union government to create infrastructure, including a common effluent plant, common testing facility, roads and drainage. The common infrastructure will enable entrepreneurs to cut down their costs, Mr. Nayak said.
Training and testing
The proposed park, which could provide employment for over 30,000 people, is also to get a unit of the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology to train youngsters and test products coming out of the units in the park, says Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Anantkumar Hegde.
The three primary stakeholders — the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, the State government, and the anchor tenant (MRPL) — are already in the picture and the process of forming a special purpose vehicle or another entity to establish the park is in motion. MRPL is striving to create the required ecosystem for the park by involving the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and other bodies, Mr. Kumar said.
