RIL's three SEZs listed for clearance

PTI[ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2007 01:25:01 PM]

NEW DELHI: With the government still to clear their multi-product Navi
Mumbai SEZ, three other zones promoted by Reliance Industries Chairman
Mukesh Ambani and his close aide Anand Jain in the same area have been
listed for clearance at the Board of Approval's meeting on Friday.

"While we are awaiting response from the Maharashtra government on
objections of the Revenue Department on the 1,250 hectare multi-product
SEZ proposal in Navi Mumbai, three other product-specific zones in the
area will come up for approval," a highly placed source told media.

He said the three proposals are stand-alone single product SEZs spread
over 350 hectares of land.

Asked whether it was a move on the part of developers to overcome
contiguity issues in the Navi Mumbai SEZ, the official said these four
projects have been stand-alone proposals ever since the SEZ Act came
into force last year.

However, these zones were originally part of a single multi-product SEZ
mooted by SIDCO -- the original promoter of the Navi Mumbai project. But
after the new law came into force, its new promoter who had bought the
project from SIDCO decided to set up four zones there.

The multi-product SEZ in Navi Mumbai had run into difficulties following
objections from Revenue Department, which feared revenue leakage because
of a road passing through the zone. After examination, the department
gave it a clean chit as far as the issue of contiguity was concerned,
but raised other points.

The BoA had asked the promoters and the state government to respond to
the issues raised by the Finance Ministry. While the promoters have
replied, the Commerce Ministry is awaiting views of the state government.

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