The Hindu

• Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are most likely to bag the project, says MLA
• Both the states have good infrastructure, a long coastline and a strong petrochemical base
• The State has already submitted a pre-feasibility project

Mangalore, Sep 17: The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has convened a meeting for further discussion on the State’s application on the proposed Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) at New Delhi on September 20. Karnataka is one of five states vying for the PCPIR project, the others being Orissa, Gujarat, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.

The Chairman of Karnataka State Industrial Investment and Development Corporation (KSIIDC) and Mangalore MLA N Yogish Bhat told The Hindu here on Sunday that this was a positive development as far as Karnataka was concerned. “The KSIIDC, which is the nodal agency for the project, has already submitted a detailed pre-feasibility report to the Union Government. Even the state cabinet has cleared the project,” he said.

Delegation

Referring to the New Delhi meeting, he said a high powered delegation from the corporation, headed by him and comprising the executive and managing directors, the Principal Secretary, Department of Commerce and Industry and other senior officials would attend the meeting. “This would give us an opportunity to impress the Centre about the solidity of our claim and also reply to their queries,” he added.

Observing that the Union Government might sanction the PCPIR project to two of the five contender states, Bhat said Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were on a strong footing in bagging the project for various reasons. “Both the states have good infrastructure and a long coastline, which makes them ideally suited for setting up the PCPIR.

Both the states also have a strong petrochemical industrial base,” he noted.
Earlier, Bhat said the PCPIR would be spread over 9,016.33 acres in Dakshina Kannada of which 7,303.32 acres would form the processing area.