SEZ saga: Some cos as co-developers

AMITI SEN

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 03, 2007 12:10:46 AM]

NEW DELHI: The board of approval (BoA) on special economic zones (SEZs)
has accorded co-developer status to a number of developers of notified
SEZs including Motorola and Foxconn, Mahindras and Ascendas and Petronet
LNG and Kochi Port Trust. In a meeting on Friday, the BoA also approved
authorised operations for 30 notified SEZs.

Although the empowered group of ministers (eGoM) on SEZs had frozen
fresh approvals of SEZs as well as notifications of approved SEZs in its
meeting last week, the commerce department had managed to get its
permission to hold BoA meetings to give required clearances to the 63
notified SEZs. Notified SEZs cannot start operations till their
authorised operations are approved by the BoA. SEZs being developed by
more than one developer need to get a co-developer status from the BoA.

In Friday's meeting of the BoA, co-developer status was accorded to
Motorola India Pvt Ltd and Foxconn India Developer Pvt Ltd for the
SIPCOT SEZ at Sriperumbadur, Chennai. Authorised operations in respect
of these co-developers were also approved.

Co-developer status was also granted to the three co-developers in the
Mahindra world city SEZ in Chennai including Mahindra Integrated
Township Ltd, Mahindra Holiday Resorts and Ascendas Mahindra IT Park
Private Ltd.

Petronet LNG Limited was approved as a co-developer in Cochin Port Trust
while Integrated Warehousing Kandla Project Development Private Limited
was given co-developer status for a free trade warehousing zone in
Kandla SEZ.

Others to get co-developer status include Leela Lace Holdings Private
Limited as co-developer in Info Park SEZ at Kochi and DLF Assets Private
Limited as co-developer in the DLF Info City Developers (Chennai)
Limited -IT/ITES SEZ in Ramapuram, Chennai .

IT and ITES SEZs which got clearances for authorised operations include

HCL Technologies Ltd at Noida, Quarkcity India Private Limited at
Mohali, Wipro Limited in Pune, M L Dalmiya and Co. Ltd at Kolkata, Ansal
IT City and Parks Limited at Greater Noida and Satyam Computers Services
Limited at Bahadurpally Village, Andhra Pradesh.

Other SEZs which received clearances for authorised operations include
Zydus Infrastructure Private Limited's pharmaceuticals SEZ at Gujarat,
MIDC agro products SEZ at Latur, Maharashtra, Fab City SPV (India)
Limited for a sector specific SEZ for manufacturing and developing
semiconductor facility at Hyderabad and Whitefield Paper Mills Limited
for writing and printing papermill SEZ at Godavari District, Andhra
Pradesh.

The BoA cannot take up fresh SEZ proposals for consideration till the
eGoM holds its next meeting and takes a view on a number of issues
including land acquisition by states and possible ceilings and caps on
SEZ numbers. A decision to freeze all fresh proposals and notifications
was taken by the eGoM last week following wide-scale protests from
farmers and various political parties over land-acquisition. About 174
SEZs which have received formal clearances but have not been notified
are eagerly awaiting the eGoMs decision.


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