State Congress has criticised the move of the Narendra Modi government to scrap the lone mega food park , to be set up in Amethi, the parliamentary constituency of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. The party leaders threatened to include the issue in its ongoing country wide protest over the farmers agenda and will aware the people of UP that how the Modi government is acting against the farmers and his much publicised `Make in India’ is a mere slogan..The mega food park, a Rs 200 crore project by Aditya Birla group was supposed to bring investment to UP and give employment to 40,000 youths in Amethi and surrounding districts.
The NDA government is reported to have cancelled the permission to Shaktiman Food Park, which was to be set up by Aditya Birla Nuvo limited in Jagdishpur, Amethi which was inaugurated by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in October 2013 in presence of Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and former Union minister for food processing industries, Charan Das Mahant. Reports says that the project was scrapped after Centre’s reluctance to honour a previously agreed promise by the UPA II government to release administered price mechanism (APM) gas to run the park. This, the Aditya Birla Nuvo limited (ABNl) said was necessary for the project’s viability.
However, some officials claimed that as the company could not get the required 50 acres of land for the purpose hence it was scrapped. But Congress MlA Akhilesh Pratap Singh, a close confidant of Rahul Gandhi, told media persons that the act of the NDA government was condemnable and it proves the vindictive attitude of the BJP government.“ Scrapping of the project would cost 40,000 people direct and indirect employment,” he said. The Congress MlA questioned, Prime Minister, Home Minister, Defence Minister along with 73 MPs of BJP and its alliance partners are from UP, but it unfortunate that a lone mega food park in the state has been scrapped. He also denied the charges of the Centre that the company did not get 50 acre of land or the project.” The company has already more than 70 acres of land in its possession,” he claimed. Singh said that scrapping of the project also shows the real face of the Narendra Modi on his ‘ fake’ commitment on Make In India agenda.
Reports said that M/s Shaktiman Mega Food Park Pvt ltd, (SPV) was accorded in-principle approval on September 24,2010 for setting up a Mega Food Park project in Jagdishpur, Uttar Pradesh. While the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) had met all other conditions of final approval, it could not meet the condition of ‘proof of possession of at least 50 acres of contiguous land for the project along with permission for industrial usage’. After giving ample opportunity to complete the necessary formalities for according final approval to the project, Inter Ministerial Approval Committee (IMAC) in its meeting held on June,30,2014 decided to cancel the in-principal approval accorded to the project.
The UP State Industrial Development Corporation, which leased out the land to both Indo-Gulf Fertilisers and subsequently, Shaktiman Mega Food Park SPV, however, denies the claim. UPSIDC officials said, “Indo-Gulf Fertiliser is in possession of 833 acres of land. Of this, 72 acres of land was transferred in the name of the SPV that was formed to run the park. The entire project falls in the industrial belt. It is incorrect, therefore, to say the SPV did not have 50 acres of contiguous land, or the permission for industrial usage.”
In 2012, UPSIDC allowed ABNl to sublet 72 acres of the 833 acres owned by Indo-Gulf Fertilisers, for floating an SPV for the food park. The project was meant to generate direct employment to 40,000 persons, in addition to becoming the main food processing hub for Amethi and neighbouring districts. According to ABNl’s proposal, the Central Processing Centre (CPC) was to be set up at Jagdishpur, with primary processing centers at Sultanpur, Faizabad, Rae Bareli, Barabanki, lucknow, Pratapgarh, Ambedkar Nagar and Jaunpur etc.