IDCO asked to identify surplus land in industrial clusters for MSMEs

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury

Bhubaneswar, Jan 18:

With huge tracts of land allocated by the government in various industrial clusters lying unutilized in the state, the Odisha government has asked the Industrial Development Corporation of Odisha (IDCO) to prepare a status paper on unused land in industrial estates so that such land can be utilized for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Since the MSME department is facing problem of land crunch in its efforts to develop the sector in the state, it hopes that the identification of unutilised – and therefore surplus – land can help sort out the problem.

“There are 87 industrial estates located in the state for each of which the government has provided land. Most of the industrial estates have been constructed by IDCO. A status report may be prepared on each industrial estate, sheds used for industrial purposes to see if the land and building have actually been utilized for industrial purposes. Unused land, if any, existing in the estates should be indicated in the status paper,” said MSME Minister Damodar Rout in a letter to the MSME secretary, who has already directed the Director of Industries, Cuttack and IDCO to furnish a status report soon.

The Minister will hold a review meeting after getting the status report to sort out the problems of MSME sector in getting land to set up projects.