A couple of proposed special economic zones (SEZs), both in private and government sectors, in Uttarakhand have failed to make any headway.
Though Parsvnath and other private players have put on hold their SEZ proposals, the government is also not showing any enthusiasm. Officials here claimed that private players were not finding market conditions conducive to setting up of SEZs. Parsvnath is building a SEZ at Sahastradhara Road here.
The government is also yet to enact its own SEZ Act and take final decisions on its proposed SEZs at Sitarganj and Dehra Dun. Already, it has shelved its proposal to build an SEZ at Pantnagar.
For preparing the draft SEZ Act, a committee was set up under the additional chief secretary. But so far the committee has failed to take shape since the post of additional chief secretary is lying vacant.
State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited is keen to develop SEZs, both at Sitarganj and Dehra Dun. “We are trying to revive these proposals. We hope that some decisions would be taken in the next one month,” said a government official.
According to top officials, there is a need to study SEZ rules in other states and adopt a suitable model for the hill state in the wake of SEZ controversies in West Bengal and elsewhere in the country. Earlier experiences of Special Purpose Vehicles and PPP modes should also be taken into consideration, they added.