IL&FS Clusters looks at Orissa and AP for developing industrial infrastructure  

April 19, 2010

IL&FS Clusters Development Initiative Ltd plans to explore infrastructure development options in the states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. The company is in talks with the respective governments for developing industrial infrastructure for specific sectors. The company is already working with the Karnataka government to develop infrastructure for the state’s textiles sector.

“We are in talks with a few other states for working out things in a similar way like Karnataka. We are looking at states like Andhra Pradesh and Orissa,” said Girish Kamath, senior manager, IL& FS Cluster.

IL&FS Clusters is currently working with the Karnataka government on developing the industrial infrastructure for the textiles sector in the state. The group also has various other cluster-based projects all over the country. It is working with the ministry of textiles for developing integrated textile parks. “Out of around 45 planned parks, IL&FS is providing assistance to 33 of them,” added the official.

While, the group’s primary dominance has been in the textile and food-agro sectors, it also plans to explore other sectors. In Orissa and Karnataka, new sector opportunities, depending upon their predominance in the state, will be explored.

“We are looking at whether it should be a holistic model or some specific model (specific to a particular sector dominant in this state),” stated the official.

Apart from these sector-specific projects, the group also plans to bid for urban centres to be developed in different parts of the country. These government-initiated projects would be region-specific and not sector-specific.

“They (the government) have issued advertisements asking for private participation in developing infrastructure in the rural areas; we would be responding to them. Each project would require around Rs150 crore to Rs200 crore of investment. The government is planning around ten such projects,” said RCM Reddy, managing director, IL&FS Cluster Development Initiative Ltd. — Amritha Pillay