Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Rs 300 crore Petrochemical Park coming up at Ambalamugal in Kochi, will change the perception that the state was not industry friendly. Vijayan was speaking after laying the foundation stone of the park through video conference. The government was accepting investors with open arms and would provide all necessary assistance. The park, coming up on 481.79 acres of land acquired by the state government from Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT), a central public sector undertaking, is being set up by the Industries Department in collaboration with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL).
About 229 acres will be available in the petrochemical park for industrial ventures and at present, 171 acres has been allotted on lease for development of BPCL, while 33% of the land will be retained for establishment of a green belt, as per the Union Ministry of Environment guidelines.
The Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) will provide the basic facilities at the park, including supply of 12 million litres of water per day, supply of 11 and 33 kilowatts of electricity, pollution control plant, GAIL gas pipeline and waste treatment system. The park is expected to be completed within 30 months. KINFRA has received 17 applications for starting business ventures and all these applications have been approved by the district level allotment committee. In another function, the Chief Minister inaugurated the power transformer plant of Kerala Electrical and Allied Engineering Limited (KEL) at its Mamala unit, in the presence of Power Minister M M Mani. He also inaugurated an e-vehicle charging station set up in KEL premises to cater to the emerging e-vehicle market.
