Hyderabad: After giving all required approvals for the Zaheerabad Industrial Smart City (ZISC), under the Hyderabad-Nagpur Industrial Corridor, the Centre has asked the Telangana govt to speed up works and set 2029 as the deadline to operationalise the industrial zone. However, the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) is struggling to complete the land acquisition process for NIMZ, being set up under the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ).For NIMZ Zaheerabad, being planned on 12,656 acres, the state govt has so far taken over 7,829 acres, while the acquisition of the balance 4,826 acres is yet to be completed. Officials said Phase I works were being planned in Bardhipur, Cheelapally, Yelgoi, Rukmaur, Mungi and Hadnoor villages in Jharasangam and Nyalkal mandals of Sangareddy district.Of the required 4,712 acres for Phase I works, which is crucial to launch ZISC, 4,110 acres were taken over, and the acquisition of 601 acres is still pending. Due to stiff resistance from farmers, the state govt stopped the land acquisition process in Yelgoi, and Bardipur villages. But the officials claim that it was not a hurdle to go ahead with the project.“The Phase I works will be taken up in 3,245 acres for Rs 2,369 crore. A special purpose vehicle (SPV) was formed and works are going on,” an official of the industries department said.The Centre, which holds a 49% stake in the SPV, claimed commitments for investments worth Rs 14,000 crore from global and domestic players. Some companies such as Vem Technologies (511 acres), and Hyundai (408 acres) have already got land at NIMZ. A company has sought 675 acres for its global innovation, research and development centre at the smart city.“Many companies have approached the Telangana govt seeking land allotment in ZISC, but the state wants to allocate land only after completing infra works,” a senior TGIIC official said.The Centre is keen on completing the project at the earliest as it was included in the Hyderabad-Nagpur Industrial Corridor for funding under the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT). The NICDIT board has approved the project, pegged at Rs 2,369 crore. Of this, TGIIC equity is Rs 620 crore (51%), while that of NICDIT is about Rs 596 crore (49%). The balance would be debt to SPV NICDIT Zaheerabad Industrial Smart City Limited, which was incorporated for project implementation.
