Shifting industries out of state capital

Like previous governments of the united Andhra Pradesh, the TRS government has also come up with a plan to relocate industries from Hyderabad city limits to the outskirts. It is surely a welcome decision, but whether it can implement the decision in letter and sprit is to be seen.

Addressing industrialists at a meet, Telangana Industries Minister J Krishna Rao said that the government was seriously thinking of moving industries from the city, but quickly added that it would not apply the rule to all in haste.

In fact, earlier governments resorted to such actions, albeit under pressure from NGOs and pollution control agencies, but the end result was no relief to common man. For instance, about a decade ago, the then Telugu Desam government tried to shift VST Ltd owing to air pollution. However, the company implemented precautionary measures ordered by the pollution control board and secured permissions to continue to operate its cigarette factory with full capacity.

Interestingly, this time the government may follow the carrot and stick policy. It is contemplating to permit the industry to use the land for other purposes and relocate the factory to the outskirts of the city.

As the city has been rapidly expanding in the last one decade, there is a need for relocating industries – whether they are polluting or not. Most of the industrial estates within the city were enveloped by residential and commercial areas. The government could not find enough land in the city for expansion, and hence the decision to move out the industrial estates.

TRS government claims that it has identified enough land parcels around city, which may be offered to the industry to relocate factory with an option to expand. As an industrialist puts it, it will benefit industry to unlock the value of land, while the residents will be relieved of pollution and hardships due to the factories. The government also gets sizable revenue in the process.

In some cases, even the earlier governments successfully implemented this plan. In fact, the earlier government indentified as many as 45 locations outside the outer ring road (ORR) for relocating industrial parks. It planned to partially or fully relocate about 13 industrial estates. It relocated about 150 electroplating units in Balanagar industrial estate to Automotive Industrial Park in Toopran.

About 50 per cent of the industries in Sanathnagar have already moved to Adibatla and other localities. Similarly, oil and steel factories in Kattedan are being moved to Zaheerabad. Moreover, as per the new master plan of Hyderabad Municipal Development Authority, no new industries are allowed along the ORR. It has identified about 210 locations where such industries can be shifted. Thus, one should welcome the move as it will help people live in industrial pollution-free city. This will also boost property values on the city outskirts, facilitating more investments.

By: KVVV Charya