| Date: |
10-02-2015 |
| Subject: |
Maharashtra to hardsell Satara SEZ as military hub at Defence Expo |
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government will pitch for the Kesurdi SEZ in Satara district as its choice for a defence hub at the Defence Air Expo to be held in Bengaluru on February 18. At the expo, the state, along with a few others, will be meeting foreign companies to woo them to invest in their states.
While the total available area in Satara for setting up industries is 348.6 hectares, the Kesurdi Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is 111 hectares, said Maharashtra government officials.
According to officials, there are other regions of Maharashtra that are ideal for investment in defence-related equipment, but a defence hub in Kesurdi is an added attraction for investors to invest in the region.
"From Pune to Amravati and Jalgaon, the entire state is well suited for investment in defence production. However, the Kesurdi SEZ is an added attraction as it has a perfectly good eco system for production of defence-related equipment. It is also close to Pune, which already has a well-established network for defence-related and machinetool manufacturing," said a senior state government official.
Firms investing in the Kesurdi SEZ will have easy access to ports as well as road, rail and air networks. The Pune airport is just 65 kilometres away while the Mumbai port is 219 kilometre away , the Kesurdi SEZ is also close to four major National Highways.
Companies investing at the Kesurdi SEZ will have access to National Highway (NH) 17 that leads to Goa, NH 9 that leads to Hyderabad, NH 4 that leads to Bangalore and NH 8 that leads to Ahmedabad. The nearest railway station is the Lonand railway station that is just 30 km away and provides easy connectivity to Goa.
The state is enthusiastic about its prospects in attracting investments in the defence sector because it already has a well-established electronics and machine-tool industry in the Pune, Thane and Aurangabad belts.
The Centre has given an invite to states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Kerala for the Defence Air Expo, as part of efforts for its `Make in India campaign', that aims to give a boost to domestic manufacturing of defence-related products. Hence, the Centre has organised a two-hour session with foreign companies where Maharashtra and others will pitch for investments in their states.
Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com
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