1st rubber thread manufacturing plant set up

Agartala, Aug 14: Eastern India's first heat resistant rubber thread manufacturing plant has been set up by the Dharampal Satyapal(DS) Group in Tripura today.

A state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with an installed capacity of 5,000 Metric Tonne (MT) per annum was inaugurated by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar here.

The plant, located at the Industrial Growth Centre at Budhjung Nagar, is about 17 km from the capital city.

Sophisticated machines worth Rs 80 crore were imported from Italy.

The Chief Minister praised the DS Group for its initiative to promote rubber trade in the state, saying, ''For the last few years we have been aggresively promoting economic growth in the state and the initiatives like this will go a long way in ensuring socio-economic development.'' He said, ''This project is a gift by the DS group to the people of Tripura on the eve of Independence.'' He requested the DS Group to invest in other fields like food processing and gas based projects, among others.

''The state is rich in natural gases. ONGC and GAIL are doing a tremendous job in tapping the natural gas available in the state.

The DS Group can aslo exploit this opportunity,'' Mr Sarkar said.

Referring to the food processing sector, the CM said that the pine apple grown in Tripura is the best in the world.

Tripura Industrial Development Corporation (TIDC) Chairman and sitting MLA Pabitra Kar declared that the state government is keen on expanding rubber cultivation from the existing 26,000 hectres of land to 1 lakh hectres. ''The rubber cultivated in some of the pockets in the state is believed to be the best in the world,'' said Mr Kar.

The DS Group has four units in the state at present.

UNI