By SNV Sudhir
Visakhapatnam, June 21, 2012: Not able to find any takers for the much hyped Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) due to various reasons, state government is now attempting to show already existing industries in Vizag to Kakinada as part of the PCPIR and going ahead with the proposed planning to provide infrastructure worth around Rs.19,000 crore.
The Vuda vice chairman who is also vice chairman of the Visakhapatnam- Kakinada PCPIR Special Development Authority (VK PCPIR SDA), Mr K. Sasidhar, said that there was no need for people of 110 villages to have any apprehensions of losing their land, as most lands were already acquired by the APIIC. “It is planned that 40 per cent of the total region will be a processing area; of this, 35 to 36 per cent industries are already there,” said Mr Sasidhar.
The PCPIR is aimed at attracting global investments in the petroleum, petrochemical industry, keeping in mind the vast reserves in the KG basin and HPCL was supposed to be the anchor project of the PCPIR.
However, recently after HPCL authorities expressed their helplessness to set up the project due to lack of partners to ground it, APIIC cancelled the allotments made to the oil company. Earlier, the ONGC which initially evinced interest too, backed out. Though APIIC officials are in consultation with Saudi and Kuwait-based oil companies, nothing has yet been finalised.
Now as per official details, non petroleum, petrochemical entities like Ramky SEZ (Pharmaceutical), Andhra Pradesh SEZ (Multi product), Hetero drugs SEZ (Pharmaceutical), Brandix SEZ (Textile and apparel) coming under the Vizag cluster, Kakinada SEZ (Multi product) are shown as part of the PCPIR, along with projected investments by the GMR group in petroleum and petrochemical industry besides the Kakinada Refinery and Petrochemicals Pvt Ltd (KRPL).
