Reliance SEZ in land buy woes

The ambitious Jhajjar special economic project (SEZ) project of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has hit a fresh hurdle and could take some time to take off.

The ambitious Jhajjar special economic project (SEZ) project of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has hit a fresh hurdle and could take some time to take off.

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The company has, till date, managed to acquire around 8,000 acres at Jhajjar, which is non-contiguous. RIL now needs to acquire more land to make this this area contiguous and initiate development work, which could be a long-drawn affair.

“Acquisition of fresh land could take some time,” a senior official of the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) told Hindustan Times. The official refused to give out the exact time required for the acquisition.

RIL is aware of the issue and has initiated land consolidation process to create contiguity among its land parcels, he said.

A Reliance Industries spokesperson did not respond to emails sent by HT.

The Jhajjar SEZ project has already been scaled down to around 10,000 acres from the original plan of 25,000 acres.

The project is being developed as a joint venture between RIL, IL&FS and HSIIDC where both RIL and IL&FS own 45 per cent each, while the remaining 10 per cent in owned by HSIIDC.

The project proposes to have a model township, logistics hub along with a multi-product SEZ.