Jupiter Cap to invest Rs 1,500 cr in Maharashtra

Jupiter Capital, a venture development, management and investment company founded by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, is planning to invest Rs 1,500 crore in Maharashtra to develop transportation and logistics infrastructure.

This is the third state Chandrasekhar is focussing on, besides Karnataka and Kerala.

Besides transportation and logistics, Chandrasekhar, the man who sold BPL Mobile to Essar for a little over $1 billion in enterprise value, is also looking to invest in tourism and hospitality in Maharashtra.

According to industry sources, these plans are part of Chandrasekhar's strategy to create business of $1 billion with the help of strategic partnerships by 2009. Chandrasekhar was also looking to invest in a port terminal in Maharashtra, the details of which were yet to be confirmed, sources said.

Jupiter Capital has announced investments of over Rs 2,000 crore in various projects, including transportation and logistics, aviation infrastructure and training, strategic technology parks, hospitality and entertainment in Karnataka.

"These investments and projects will create direct and indirect employment for 10,000 people in Karnataka. Jupiter Capital plans to invest up to Rs 4,000 crore in Karnataka in the next five years," Chandrasekhar said.

The proposed projects will focus on aviation (Rs 900 crore), hospitality and medical tourism (Rs 400 crore), entertainment (Rs 150 crore) and a technology park (Rs 100 crore) for its two technology ventures, Tayana Software and Jupiter Strategic Technologies.

The company has also floated Hindustan Infrastructure to focus on investments in infrastructure and has entered into pacts with Neptune Orient Lines of Singapore and Rukindo of Indonesia for ports and logistics.

Hindustan Infrastructure is in a joint venture with APL, an arm of the $7-billion Nepture Orient Lines, to participate in the private wagons scheme of the railways.

Besides, Hindustan Infrastructure will also invest in allied industries like ports, logistics parks, and the rail and road cargo business. This company has been capitalised at Rs 400 crore.