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Hitherto famous across the country for its ‘laddoos’, Sandila township of Hardoi is well on its way to becoming a business hub as a number of Indian and multinational industrial houses have decided to set up their factories there.
An official communiqué released in Lucknow on Tuesday said that major industry players like Pepsi, British Paints, Berger Paints, ITC Ltd., Haldiram's and Webley & Scott have taken the initiative to set up their factories in Sandila.
Handgun biggie Webley & Scott's world famous revolver is already being manufactured in Sandila and soon British Paints and Berger Paints will also start manufacturing their products which do not need any introduction. The release attributed the encouraging development to the Yogi Adityanath government’s investor-friendly policies in the last four years that has acted as a catalyst, making the industrial houses to head to Sandila.
The Uttar Pradesh government received investment proposals worth over Rs 6,000 crore for setting up various industrial units in Sandila of which projects worth Rs 5,000 crore have already got off the ground. Webley & Scott has set up its plant, the maiden foreign arms manufacturing unit in UP, at a cost of Rs 100 crore. Similarly, Berger Paints Limited is setting up its factory on 35 acres of land at a cost of about Rs 850 crore. As per estimates, as many as 2,500 people will get employment in the Berger Paints factory, which will start producing various types of paints by April, 2022.
Similarly, British Paints Limited, a well-known company of England, has also started construction of its unit on over 10 acres of UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) land at a cost of Rs 150 crore. A total of 600 people are expected to get employment in this factory, which is scheduled to start production next year.
Located about 60 kilometres away from Lucknow, Sandila failed to attract attention until the time Yogi Adityanath took over as chief minister of the state. But now big investors are seeking land from the UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) to set up their units in Sandila.
Other prominent investors that are setting up their plants at Sandila include, Green Ply Company, Austin Plywood Company, Gang Industries Ltd, Varun Beverages Limited, ITC Limited, Hindustan Food Limited, Haldiram and pharmaceutical firm Swarup Chemicals.
Green Ply Company is setting up its unit on 35 acres of land at a cost of Rs 600 crore and is expected to start production in July, 2022. Similarly, Austin Plywood Company is establishing its factory at a cost of Rs 50 crore and will employ 500 people. Similarly, Gang Industries Ltd is setting up its distillery over 25 acres of land at a cost of Rs 250 crore and will provide employment to 700 people once completed. Varun Beverages Limited is setting up a factory at Sandila over 100 acres of land with an investment of Rs 700 crore to produce cold drinks, juices, etc. in association with Pepsi. Around 2,000 people will get employment in this factory. Besides, ITC Limited is setting up its factory to produce flour, juice, chips, etc. over 60 acres land with an investment of Rs 800 crore and will give employment to 1,000 people.
Similarly, Haldiram is setting up its unit on five acres at a cost of about Rs 50 crore and will offer job opportunities to 250 people. Hindustan Food Limited is also setting up its factory at Sandila at a cost of Rs 100 crore. To be constructed on eight acres, the factory will employ 600 people. Apart from this, land has been acquired for the pharma unit of Swarup Chemical and the construction of the factory is expected to start soon.