Panel defers decision on Zaheerabad investment zone

The proposed land has 13 reserve forests around it

An Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) under the Union Ministry of Environment has deferred its decision on preparing the terms of reference (ToR) for the proposed Zaheerabad National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) in Sangareddy district by the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TSIIC).

The EAC put off its decision as it felt that the proposed land where the NIMZ was expected to come up had 13 reserve forests around it. The committee also mentioned other reasons for postponing the decision.

“After detailed deliberation during the 180th meeting held on December 21, 2017, EAC deferred the proposal for want of following information — submit the details about proper criteria followed for selection of proposed site out of three alternative sites, as the proposed site is having 13 reserve forests around it,” the EAC said in the minutes of the meeting.

The project is proposed on about 12,635 acres (5,113 ha) of land in pursuit of the National Manufacturing Policy of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The Centre accorded final approval for the Zaheerabad NIMZ on January 22 last year.

When contacted, a senior TSIIC official said they were ready with all the required information and the same would be submitted to the MoEF within a week.

The State government proposed to allocate up to 10 per cent of Singur river water for NIMZs in line with the existing industrial water supply policy of the State, the EAC said.

The total cost of the project is ₹4,704.90 crore and an additional ₹6,500 crore would be spent on external linkage of the project, including upgradation of NH-65 from Zaheerabad to last-mile connectivity to western ports.

The proposed NIMZ is estimated to bring around ₹37,740 crore of total investments by manufacturing industries at the ultimate phase with ₹96,778 crore of estimated industrial output by 2040, as per the EAC.

“Proposed NIMZ is likely to generate direct and indirect employment potential of about 2.44 lakh, respectively, thereby opening up employment opportunities for the youth in the catchment region,” the EAC said.

The committee also sought detailed information about types of industries or activities proposed along with the use of raw materials and chemicals and processing details for precise assessment of the environmental impact.