March 27 :An Industrial Research and Development Centre would be set up in Baddi-Barotiwala at a cost of Rs. 84 crore under Public Private Participation (PPP) mode to facilitate the entrepreneurs in the industrial area. This was revealed by Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, while addressing a mammoth public meeting after commissioning of 1.5 MT per annum capacity Rs. 300 crore Cement Grinding Unit of Ambuja Cements at Navagraon in tehsil Nalagarh of district
Solan by pressing the button to start grinding process of fly ash generated from thermal power plant, today.
Chief Minister said that two labour hostels would be constructed in the industrial area to accommodate about 900 industrial workers with all basic amenities by spending over Rs. 12 crore over the same He said that two proposed hostels would be completed on priority and sought industrial houses participation in similar activities. He said that Rs. 57 crore CONCORD Inland Container Depot was also under construction which would soon be dedicated to the industrialists to solve their transportation of raw material and finished products to and fro more conveniently. He added that the State Government had entered into an MOU with the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) to extend the piped gas pipeline from Chandigarh to industrial area of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh with provision to further extend the same to other areas in the state in next phase. He said that with the laying of the gas pipeline the commercial and domestic use of the same would be more convenient to the consumers in the area.
Prof. Dhumal said that the state was according top priority to employment and revenue generating sectors which were environment friendly. He said that the state government had already placed the high polluting and low employment generating industrial units into the negative list and was constantly monitoring the pollution control activities in the industrial areas of the State. He said that the people of Himachal Pradesh were indebted to former Prime Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee who had sanctioned 10 year Special Industrial Package to Himachal Pradesh in January, 2003 and other special category states on the analogy of North Eastern States which had given momentum to industrialization in the State. He said that the State Government was striving hard to get the same extended to the targeted year of 2013. He said that during past two years record 1,616 industrial units had come into production with an investment of Rs. 2,547 crore out of Rs. 10,640 crore worth of 2,051 units cleared by the Single Window Authority and employment to thousands of youth generated.
Chief Minister said that BPL and IRDP families would be eligible to avail of free medical facilities in the local diagnostic centre on the analogy of the facilities available to them in other government health institutions. He said that the local middle school would also be upgraded to high school and a new primary school also opened after observing all codal formalities. He said that one kilometer road connecting the Navagraon area with Nalagarh would be completed on priority.
Chief Minister thanked the Padam Vibhushan Awardee Shri Suresh Neotia, Chairman of Ambuja Cements for his generosity of donating Rs. one crore, Rs. 50 lakh towards the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and Rs. 50 lakh towards the Chief Minister Sainik Welfare Fund which would go a long way in facilitating the poor, needy and dependants of the serving and ex-servicemen in the state. He appealed to industrial houses to donate generously towards the CM Relief Fund which was a real service towards suffering humanity.
Chief Minister also flagged off five first trucks loaded with cement to various shrines and educational institutions and planted a sapling in the plant complex.
Shri Hari Narayan Singh Saini, local MLA, also welcomed the Chief Minister and thanked him for inspiring Ambuja Cements to actively participate in local social welfare and development activities.
Padam Vibhushan Awardee Shri Suresh Neotia, Chairman, Ambuja Cements, welcomed the Chief Minister and said that the company would always be participating with the local people in their social, welfare and developmental activities. He said that he was emotionally attached to Himachal Pradesh and would do best for it.
Shri Onne Van Der Wejde, Managing Director and Shri J.C.Toshniwal, Joint President of Ambuja Cements apprised that the grinding unit was environment friendly since it would be consuming the fly ash of thermal power plant at Ropar and ensure environmental friendly industrial growth.
Dr. Rajiv Bindal, Health Minister, Smt. Vinod Chandel and Shri Gobind Sharma, MLAs, Shri Ganesh Datt, Vice President, HIMUDA, Shri Manoj Kumar, Commissioner Industries, Shri A.S.Rathore, DC, Shri C.S.Pandit, SP Baddi, Smt. Meera Mohanty, CEO BBNDA, Shri R.K.Sharma, Vice President and Shri Dinesh Sharma, GM Ambuja Cements were prominent among others present on the occasion.