The confusion over investment figures, non-viable projects — jatropha cultivation or bio-diesel cultivation — and controversial projects once again haunted the two-day Gwalior global investor meet.
Of the chief minister’s claim of attracting investments worth Rs 87,000 crore, few are likely to materialise as most of them require huge land area. The chief minister, in his speech, announced attracting investments of “Rs 96,000 crore” but later corrected the figure to Rs 87,000 crore. Officials, though, could not confirm the figure till late evening.
Of the memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed during the last two days, half of them were on thermal power projects. Of the deals signed, 29 related to manufacturing, worth Rs 42,465 crore, 15 worth Rs 1,403 crore were signed for jatropha and bio-diesel plants, one in real estate of Rs 2,000 crore, six in the energy sector for Rs 40,340 crore, 19 in food processing sector for Rs 1,403 crore, two in information technology for Rs 610 crore and higher education sector for Rs 1,100 crore.
In contrast to the claims of ignoring power sector, six companies, namely Bhilwara energy, Indiabulls Power service Ltd, Gurgaon, MSP Power & Steel, Sunil Hightech Power Ltd, Adhunik Spat Ltd and Power Venture Ltd, signed deals for 34,000 Mw.
Bhilwara committed for 1,500 Mw (Rs 7,200 crore), Indiabulls for two thermal units of 1,320 Mw (Rs 12,000 crore), MSP for 1,000 Mw (Rs 4,200 crore), Sunil Hightech for 1,320 Mw (Rs 5,940 crore), Adhunik Spat for 1,200 Mw (Rs 6,000 crore) and Power Venture for 1,200 Mw (Rs 5,000 crore).
The work on the projects are to commence after five years from now subjected to various clearances from various departments like forest, Union ministry of coal and mines etc.
The Gwalior meet was the last in the series of ‘Destination Madhya Pradesh’. The state chief minister also re-announced that ‘Single Table’ concept has taken legal shape and added that he was waiting for Governor’s response on the bill but insiders in government said, “in the absence of a Deemed Act, the bill is ineffective. Other departments do not work in sync with the department of industry in the absence of this Act.”
A number of investors in the meet told BS that they face problems at the district-level where revenue officials including district collector do not respond timely due to which the project cost escalates. However, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told BS “I will see all pending cases.”
