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The Odisha government has urged the Union ministry of food processing industries (MoFPI) to accord fresh approval to the Huma Coastal Mega Food Park, whose earlier clearance was cancelled in February, this year.
The promoters of mega food park, meanwhile, have applied afresh against the expression of interest (EOI) bids invited by the Union ministry for establishment of new mega food parks under the amended guidelines for such projects.
“The unit has achieved a major compliance of having registered lease deed of converted land in favour of the company. The said land is situated in mouza-Raniboro in Ganjam- tahasil of Ganjam district. The unit has also undertaken a massive backward linkage programme to facilitate a successful food park,” F M Naik, additional secretary, state MSME department, wrote to the joint secretary, MoFPI.
The state government has requested the Centre to consider the bid of the promoters of the food park favourably and grant it approval so that work can be started for the project, which is key to promotion of food processing industries in the state.
The park was earlier accorded in-principle approval by MoFPI on September 21, 2012 under the Mega Food Parks Scheme. However, several time extensions of the approval notwithstanding, the SPV created to implement the project, Huma Coastal Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd, could not meet the prescribed conditions for the final approval.
The Inter Ministerial Approval Committee in a meeting on February 11, 2014 had withdrawn its consent after reviewing the status of compliances achieved by the SPV.
MoFPI, in a letter to the state government later, had said, the project SPV can seek fresh approval under the new guidelines of mega food park scheme.
