Tatas' Gopalpur SEZ proposal to get government nod soon

Mumbai: The board of approvals (BoA) for SEZs is likely to clear the Tata Group's proposal for setting up a special economic zone (SEZ) in Gopalpur, Orissa. The BoA, which would meet after a three-month gap on January 10, would take up for clearance the Tatas' proposal for a multi-product zone involving land in excess of 3,500 acres.

All necessary clearances, including from the security agencies, have come and the proposal is likely to be cleared soon, sources said. The Tata Group has proposed to set up an SEZ in Gopalpur, on land which it had initially acquired for a steel plant. The group later decided to give up the idea of a steel plant due to lack of proper infrastructure. The SEZ idea was a later offshoot and the board referred it to the security agencies as the proposed zone was close to a security establishment.

The Gopalpur SEZ is also the only one for which the Tatas have sought approval for so far. The Gopalpur SEZ had run into a security hurdle as it happened to be seven km away from a missile training academy. However, it got the green signal from home ministry last week, setting the stage for a clearance by the board of approvals next month.

But other projects, including a Rs 7,300 crore investment by Kandla Port Trust and a zone in Assam are still being scrutinised.