Century Textiles plans cement plant in Bengal

Chairman BK Birla says land identified in Malda, awaits govt nod.

With Kumar Mangalam Birla set to take charge of the Rs 2,500-crore Century Textiles & Industries, the company is planning to set up a cement grinding plant in north Bengal.

"We are setting up the factory in north Bengal. I feel there is a good market for cement in north Bengal as well as in the Northeast, which we shall tap," Century Textiles Chairman Basant Kumar Birla told Business Standard.

According to Birla, the group has submitted a formal proposal to the state government for land. "We have identified the land for the project in Malda. In another 2-3 months, we should get the land," he added.

The octogenarian industrialist said the group was likely to invest around Rs 200 crore in the cement plant, which would have a grinding capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year.

"We shall bring clinker from our plants in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and grind it here," he added.

The announcement is significant since the Aditya Birla group, which will eventually take control of Century Textiles, is engaged in a fierce battle with the world's largest cement maker Holcim, to protect its No 1 slot in Indian market.

Holcim is also setting up a one million tonne cement grinding plant at Farakka in north Bengal.

Century Textiles had three cement plants called Century Cement (Chhattisgarh), Maihar Cement (MP) and Manickgarh Cement (Maharashtra). This will be the group's first cement venture in West Bengal.