Mangaluru likely to get plastic park worth Rs 300 cr

Project expected to be cleared at Global Investors Meet

The coastal city of Mangaluru is likely to get a plastic park at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore.

The Union government will provide Rs 40 crore as grant-in-aid for the project. The project is expected to be cleared at the Invest Karnataka 2015-Global Investors Meet scheduled to be held at Bengaluru from February 4 to 6.

A similar park has been sanctioned to Chennai and that project is expected to be implemented shortly, District Industries Centre Director Gokuldas Nayak said.

Canara Plastic Manufacturers’ Association (CPMTA) President B A Nazeer, along with the office-bearers of the association, had visited Chennai and held detailed discussions about the project. After identification of the land, the government would submit a proposal to the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals of the Union government.

Nayak said Mangaluru is important from the point of view of trade, industry and commerce. Functioning of all-weather New Mangalore Port and Mangalore International Airport, industries such as KIOCL, MCF, MRPL, BASF, MSEZ and petrochemical complex have given scope for development of industries. According to a survey, Mangaluru is the fastest growing non-metro in South India, he added.

With the MRPL commissioning polypropylene petrochemical complex and proposed polyethylene project, there is a good opportunity for plastic industries. Canara Plastic Manufacturers and Traders’ Association had urged the Union minister for chemicals and petrochemicals to set up a plastic park in Mangaluru. Based on ministers’ acceptance, the State government had sent a proposal and also initiated the process to identify land for the purpose, Nayak said.

The land has been identified at Canara Industrial Area, Mudipu, in Bantwal and Shibaroor in Mangaluru taluk. The deputy commissioner has already agreed to the proposal in the Invest Karnataka preliminary meeting.

The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals has formulated the scheme with a view to synergise and consolidate the capacities through cluster development for the Indian plastic Industry. The scheme aims to increase competitiveness, polymer absorption capacity and value addition in domestic downstream plastic processing industry through adoption of modern, research and development-led measures along with increasing the investments in the sector through additions in capacity and production, creating quality infrastructure and other facilitation to ensure value addition and increase in exports. It also aims to achieve environmentally sustainable growth through innovative methods of waste management, recycling, etc, he added.