The West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation (WBSIDC) has drawn up a plan to bring the small units in that area into common premises under an integrated industrial complex.
According to a detailed project report (DPR) prepared by West Bengal Consultancy Organisation (Webcon), the in-house consultancy arm of the state government, the project will include building necessary infrastructure like roads, water lines, power supply, telecommunication network, a three-storey commercial building and a four-storey production unit.
The commercial building will have shopping place for raw material accessories like tying and dying material, apart from a restaurant or food court, said A K Mahapatra, managing director of Webcon.
The production unit or standard design factory (SDF) will have a built-up space of 5600 square metres and will house around 56 units, Mahapatra added.
This apart, it will have all the components of a modern industrial complex like parking bays set amidst landscaped zones.
Webcon has pegged the project cost at around Rs 25 crore.
An earlier report of October 2007 had put the cost around Rs 10 crore, said Manoj Pant, managing director of WBSIDC.
WBSIDC was looking at raising funds for the project, and could apply for a 25 per cent grant from the Central government.
Money could be sanctioned under the Integrated Industrial Development Scheme, said Pant.
Other options including contribution from industry bodies and other stakeholders, as also deferred credit taken by WBSIDC, were also open.
He did not rule out the possibility of a private partner developing the project on a build-operate-transfer basis.
The land was in possession of WBSIDC.
It had earlier belonged to West Bengal Ceramic Development Corporation.
A decision was likely by the end of June, said Pant.
The SIDC board could meet on the issue later this week.
The park would have design support for manufacturers and assistance from the design and service centre at the leather products park at the Bantala Calcutta Leather Complex (CLC) could be used, said Anup Chatterjee, eastern region head of the Council for Leather Exports (CLE).
Freya Design Studio was working with Indian Leather Products Association on the park inside CLC.
CLE aimed to bring visiting faculty from international institutes to the complex for technical inputs, Chatterjee said.
External skill upgrading agencies could help small units here to move up the value chain to produce fashion and semi-fashion gloves, as well as sports and winter gloves, instead of industrial gloves made now.
There was a huge international market for sports gloves, priced at $10 per glove against $2 for an ordinary industrial glove.
Net exports of industrial gloves from eastern India was around Rs 691 crore in 2007-08, up 16.2 per cent from 2006-07 exports, said Paresh Rajda of Rajda Industries & Exports, a leading exporter of leather products from the region.
