Skil Infra to expand in Himachal

A Mumbai-based company is roping in top global players to jointly invest Rs 10,500 crore in Himachal Pradesh in the tourism, railways, airways, health and bio-technology sectors.

Skil Infrastructure Ltd, along with a consortium of global multinational companies, and another Indian company, might make the bid, said top government sources here. The consortium comprises four companies each from Switzerland, Denmark, Japan and Singapore.

"Nikhil Gandhi, chairman of Skil Infrastructure Ltd, along with Joseph W Eislele, councillor-general of Switzerland were here over the weekend to discuss in detail the proposed project with the state Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and others," said the state Chief Secretary Sujit Singh Parmar.

"The company has asked for 8,000 hectares of land in the state on a 99-year lease basis to carry out the projects. The investment is proposed to take place in two stages of Rs 5,400 crore and Rs 5,100 crore," he said.

If approved, the company promises to complete the multi-projects within three years.

"The state government is seriously considering the project of Skil Infrastructure as the company has a good track record of building such projects," said Parmar.

The company has offered to operate a luxury train service for high-spending tourists on the century-old Kalka-Shimla narrow railway line along the lines of the world famous "Palace on Wheels" in Rajasthan.

A health city is proposed to be set up at Vaknaghat, 20 km from here, besides plans of setting up bio-technology and information technology parks. Other plans include floriculture projects, and a power project in the special economic zones of the Kangra, Solan and Una districts.

Skil has selected Gagret in the Una district of the lower hills to build an international airport. Currently only 20-seater planes can land at three places in the hill state.

The company plans to fly in foreign tourists to visit the picturesque hill-state which is often overlooked by high-end foreign tourists due to poor air links.

Taking a cue from Ford company, the well known American company which is close to starting work on the proposed Rs 2600-crore Himalayan ski-village in the scenic Kullu valley, Skil to plans to build a ski-village in the vicinity.

But the state government has reportedly asked the company to shift the project to the Shimla district instead.

State government officials said Skil Infrastructure Ltd built the country's first private shipyard in Gujarat, and a railway project in the same state. It is also developing an economic zone in Maharashtra.