To enable Orissa to attract thousands of crores of rupees investment, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has called for a complete, transparent and flexible land acquisition policy to explore its mineral resources and take its FDI's (foreign direct investment) contribution to over 5 per cent from the present meagre level of 0.20 per cent.
At a Press meet here on Sunday ASSOCHAM president Venugopal N Dhoot released a report, 'Orissa towards industrialisation,' prepared by the ASSOCHAM. The report highlighted the facts that for industrial projects of huge volumes have not been able to take off due to problems in land acquisitions. Dhoot said that land acquisition has been the bone of contention in Orissa and it even fuels public anger against developmental projects. To woo people for different developmental projects in the State there is need of better compensation package for displaced, opined Dhoot. He strongly supported for permanent job to the dependent of displaced families.
The report said that at least four major industrial projects in Orissa with investment potential of more than Rs 1 lakh crore have not been able to take off since last four years. One of the major steel plants with 12 million tonne capacity to be set up by POSCO with Rs 51,000 crore investments, the single largest prospective FDI in India, could not progress due to land acquisition problems. Similarly, a Rs. 40,000 crore steel plant project of Arcelor-Mittal was signed in 2006, but the construction work could not commence due to resettlement and rehabilitation factors, the report analyses.
Stating further, Dhoot said that apart from land acquisition problem, mining and mineral policies, environmental issues and other allied problems need to be solved at the earliest so as to attract more investments.Promoting sector basis investments particularly in areas of IT, petrochemicals, minerals, refining and other manufacturing sectors, the Chamber has suggested State Government to set up `Investment Regions'. Moreover, the State is in the dire need for building roadways connecting the rural hinterland, national highways and upgrading the domestic airport at Bhubaneswar and sea ports.
ASSOCHAM secretary DS Rawat said as per the discussion by our president with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik the chamber is ready to have a three-year partnership with the State to attract another Rs 1.5 lakh crore of investment in the State. He further said we have proposed the Chief Minister to constitute a Special Task Force (STF) to examine and find out the actual problems in the process of industrialisation. Dhoot, who is the head of VIDEOCON, expressed his concern to set up a 'Narrow Technology Park' near Bhubaneswar provided the State successfully overcomes land related problems.
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