Haryana woos diamond units

The Haryana government has worked out a plan to attract the diamond cutting and polishing industry of Gujarat, especially those in Surat.

Haryana is at present working on a diamond cutting and polishing park, which would become operational by the end of the current calendar year.

The proposed park is coming up in a two-acre plot in Gurgaon and will have an eight-storied building to house the diamond units.

"The park is being developed at a capital outlay of Rs 50 crore," said Ravinder Singh Narwal, general manager of the Trade Fair Authority of Haryana. He was in Surat to attend the Udhyog 2004.

According to Narwal, the response was good from the diamond cutting and polishing units of Surat. He, however, declined to provide details.

The seriousness of the Haryana government could be gauged from the fact that Narwal and his team had a meeting with the officials of the Indian Diamond Institute (IDI), the apex training institute for diamond cutters and polishers.

"Yes, we had a meeting and the Haryana government wants to set up a sub-centre of the IDI at Haryana," IDI director K K Sharma said.

This is also seen by the Surat diamond industry as a move to ensure availability of trained diamond cutters and polishers at the park.

According to industry sources, the Haryana government may announce a diamond trade specific policy offering several incentives to the units to be set up at the park.

"Haryana offers several advantages to the diamond industry including infrastrcutural facilities. But the biggest advantage is the Indira Gandhi International Airport which is just 10 km away from the proposed diamond park," Narwal said. "Businessmen of Surat will definitely come to Haryana considering the facilities we offer at the park," he said.

The Haryana delegation also met several leading diamond cutters and polishers extending their invitation to set up base in Haryana.

Giving details about Haryana's plan towards emerging as the number one state on other fronts, Narwal said while the state was the number one in exports of food grains, it had also become the number two state in exports of software from last year's number three slot.

"Total exports of software from Haryana is to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore," he said.

Panipat had emerged as the biggest handloom centre in the entire Asian continent, while in automobile sector Haryana was a major hub with almost all the well known names in the four-wheeler, two-wheeler and agro-vehicles having their presence in the state.

Besides diamonds, the Haryana government is also trying to attract the synthetic textile industry of Surat to Haryana.

Haryana state officials had talked to 35 top textile groups including the Madhusudan Group of Surat, and many firms have shown interest to set up operations in Haryana. "We have had meetings. But I cannot comment more," Narwal said.

To lure the textile industry, the Haryana government is setting up a garment park. Similarly a special economic zone is coming up in over 3,000 acres of land.