SIDCUL eyes Rs 10,000-cr investments

With investments of over Rs 25,000 crore through 2,000 industrial units in its kitty, the government-run State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIDCUL) is now hoping for a second wave of heavy investments in the hill station.

For attracting new investments, SIDCUL’s new headquarters has already taken a new corporate look and plans are afoot to set up two new industrial estates. “We will make an environment where we will be able to attract new investments in our state. When I was inside the SIDCUL office, I felt like I was in New York,” said Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.

Bahuguna said his government would provide all facilities to the new units on the lines of Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Managing Director SIDCUL Rakesh Sharma is equally optimistic. He said, SIDCUL has chalked out grand plans to boost the IT and industrial sectors in a big way and that SIDCUL would soon set up two new industrial estates at Sitarganj and Kashipur on the lines of integrated industrial estates of Haridwar and Pantnagar where most of the top-notch companies like Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp and Nestle had set up shops. The state government is also drafting a new industrial policy to offer sops to the industries.

In the two industrial estates, the government is hoping to attract fresh investments worth Rs 5,000-10,000 crore, Sharma said.

A special education zone at Escort Farms in Kashipur area of Kumaon region is also in the offing via PPP mode. Educational institutions of national and international reputes would be invited to set up their institutes in the new education zone.

For providing more facilities to the industries, SIDCUL would soon adopt the single window system.

A nodal agency for industrialization, it has also chalked out plans to develop a Ganga green golf project in 215t acres of land near the Haridwar industrial estate. SIDCUL is also diversifying itself by entering into domestic/city gas distribution through a joint venture with GAIL.

SIDCUL is also hoping to build high speed transport systems in cities like Dehradun, Haridwar, Pantnagar and Roorkee by setting up flyways and monorails.