Unending wait in turning the key of the multi-crore Mega Food Park is set to be over. In all likelihood, the park, meant to provide hassle-free environment to entrepreneurs in the field of food processing, would be thrown open in July.
"We have completed over 80 per cent of the work there. A delay of 15 days was caused when a big under-construction structure fell down due to high velocity wind. At present everything is going as per plan and we would hand over the park to the Government in the next three months," Executive Director of Jharkhand Mega Food Park ltd (JMFPl) Ali Reza Thaver informed The Pioneer.
Jharkhand Mega Food Park is coming up with ambitious investment of Rs 113-crore originally at Gaitalsud, near capital Ranchi. Moreover, the project was initiated way back in 2009 along with nine others in rest of the country but due to issues involved relating to subletting the land to small entrepreneurs, exit of initial stakeholders that also include Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev's promoted Patanjali Ayurved ltd and Divya Yog Mandir and with various clearances pending; deadlines after deadlines have passed.
Then Union Food Processing Minister Subodh Kant Sahay, along with the then Governor Syed Sibtey Razi and Baba Ramdev, had laid the foundation stone for the agglomeration.
When asked, Industry Director A Muthukumar also sounded positive about the development. "The work is largely over. We have exerted pressure on the developer JMFPl and opening of the food park is tentative in July," he said.
Information suggests that all desired facilities relating to water, cold storages, sheds etc have been completed at the site barring road and power sub-station. "The power sub-station is coming up by the power distribution company of the State. We have already got environment clearances and also from the Ground Water Directorate," added Ali Reza Thaver.
At the Mega Food Park campus 12 Standard Design Factories (SDFs) have been built for small scale entrepreneurs for setting up their units. The SDFs would be prebuilt readymade structures fully equipped with all the facilities and machines. One of the SDF has already been allotted.
Also, 21 plots of 110 square metre each have been carved out for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. "Investors in the MSME sector would have to build their own facility as per their need. However, we would provide all the common facilities to them like warehouse, connectivity, parking, power etc,' said Ali Reza Thaver. Till date two of the plots-- one to 'Eastern Manufacturer' and another to 'MF Kitchens'-- have been allotted.
Industry Secretary Himani Pandey also expressed hope over completion of work on time and at the same time set goal for the future. "We are also mulling food parks at out own level in various parts of the State. We have sufficient land in different towns where such kind of common facility can come up," she said.
EOM
Food Park -1: Under-construction portions of the Mega food park. (File picture)