Kolkata: DLF to build Dankuni Textile SEZ

Kolkata, June 8: DLF, the leading realty group, will set up a Textile SEZ in Dankuni in West Bengal in an area of 100 hectares of land.

Speaking to mediapersons here today, DLF Chairman A S Minocha said that the Dankuni SEZ would have 30 to 40 units including weaving, spinning and knitwear units.

He said out of the total land required, only 40 acres have been acquired. The state government was directly acquiring land from the farmers for this project.

''We are in talks with the government to acquire more land. We are offering Rs 55 lakh per acres. Therefore, no separate Rehabilitation package has been planned for the farmers directly,'' he added.

Incidentaly, land acquisition and displacement of farmers for SEZs have erupted into a major controversy after the Nandigram violence. The government was forced to work on a new relief and rehabilitation policy. The policy is now before a group of ministers. The GoM had earlier decided to put an end to the mandatory acquisition of land by state governments.

An integrated housing complex would also be built by DLF in Dankuni. The upcoming city in Dankuni would include an integrated housing complex, retail marts, schools, hospitals and IT park, apart from the SEZ.

The Board of Approvals (BOA) under the Union government gave an in-principle approval to a textile SEZ in Dankuni to realty major DLF on June 5. Formal approvals have been given to proposals that have the possession of land. Projects without land have received in-principle approvals, pending its acquisition.

The state government has decided not to wait for the land acquisition process to resume and would rather buy land directly from farmers for a township and special economic zone to be developed by DLF in Dankuni.

DLF has already paid Rs 278 crore for the land to the state government. The government has to hand over about 4,800 acres to DLF in two years.

Meanwhile, DLF today announced that it proposes to enter the capital market with an IPO. The issue would be open from June 11 to 14 . The price band has been fixed at Rs 500 to Rs 550 per equity share.

UNI