75 ancillaries of Tata Motors coming up in Pantnagar

Other auto majors like Bajaj Auto and Ashok Leyland are also setting up shop.

Tata Motors' Nano might have gone to West Bengal's kitty. But in Pantnagar, where the manufacturing of the Nano was originally planned, the company's ancillaries have now turned out to be a big boon for auto majors.

Tata Motors, which is establishing its new Ace manufacturing facility with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore, is also helping nearly 75 ancillaries to set up shop. So far, nearly 63 ancillaries have been given industrial plots.

All these ancillaries of Tata Motors will be setting up their units in Pantnagar with a total investment of over Rs 800 crore at the 1,000 acre plot, where the company is setting up its ace unit.

With such big ancillaries of the Tatas coming up, other auto majors like Bajaj Auto and Ashok Leyland are setting up shop in Pantnagar, a small township of the Kumaon region, which is now fast emerging as a major auto hub of the country.

Officials say they keep getting inquiries from auto companies about the availability of industrial plots in Pantnagar. They are hopeful that Tata Motors might start some big work other than manufacturing the Ace.

They do not rule out the possibility of some parts of the Nano being produced in Pantnagar.

"There is always a distinct possibility of this happening," said a top official of State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltd (SIDCUL).

Among the top ancillaries that are setting up units, RSB Transmission is investing Rs 65 crore in its facility. Bajaj Motors Ltd is setting up its unit with an investment of Rs 35 crore, Delphi TVS Diesel System with Rs 38 crore and New Allenberst Works Ltd with Rs 47 crore.

Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of Hinduja Brothers, is doubling its investment to Rs 2,000 crore from Rs 1,000 crore at Pantnagar. The company will be manufacturing 40,000 vehicles per year.

The Pantnagar industrial estate has also attracted an investment of Rs 500-600 crore from Bajaj Auto, which will establish a manufacturing unit for producing motorbikes. Bajaj Auto is expected to produce 3,000 bikes per day.