The Kerala State Small Industries Association (KSSIA) has expressed delight over the decision of the State government to accord administrative sanction for allotting ₹222.83 crore for the proposed industrial park under the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) at Ramanattukara.
For over two years, the KSSIA and various other organisations have been waiting for a favourable order from the government to address the fund shortage faced by the mega project.
According to officials, a portion of the much awaited fund will have to be used for addressing the grievances of those who had handed over their land for the project. The project had been pending for over a decade mainly because of the protest on the part of some landowners who took the legal way seeking more compensation for the acquired property, they said.
“Whatever be the percentage of the compensation amount to be distributed, we will now have enough funds to implement the project with this government order. The only concern is the timely release of the sanctioned amount to the Industries department,” said M. Abdurahiman, district president, KSSIA.According to him, about 50% of the already acquired 80 acres is likely to be available for setting up various small industrial ventures.
The existing proposal suggests the use of the prime space mainly for the promotion of information technology ventures. However, chances are likely to incorporate the demands of small industrial entrepreneurs. Many are gearing up to experiment with food-based industrial projects using the space.
Apart from the 80-acre space at the proposed industrial park, the KSSIA functionaries have also approached the Industries department to consider the scope of taking over the land of closed tile factories in the district and make them available for industry development purposes. The proposals submitted to the government point out that there are many tile factories with more or less 10 acres of land that can be used for developing productive industrial parks.
