E-Paper
Uttar Pradesh defence industrial corridor: Kanpur node’s land bank to be augmented as demand rises
As much as 211 hectares of the 222 hectares earmarked by Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority have already gone to five defence companies which have started working on setting up the units,
Giving a fillip to efforts to make the defence sector self-reliant, the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) has decided to augment the land bank for the Kanpur node of the Uttar Pradesh defence industrial corridor by acquiring another 200 hectares in the first phase of the project in view of the rising demand.
The measure is being initiated as the existing land parcels for the project are almost ‘houseful’. As much as 211 hectares of the 222 hectares earmarked by Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority have already gone to five defence companies which have started working on setting up the units, said officials of the authority who do not want to be named.
“The Indian companies in particular have shown great interest in the Kanpur node. The land bank needs to be enhanced as we believe more companies are coming in,” the officials said. The first unit would be operational by the year-end, they added.
Kanpur has figured prominently on the defence equipment production map with the presence of seven ordnance factories and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Under the Make in India plan, the defence corridor in U.P. was divided into several nodes in Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Jhansi and Chitrakoot.
According to UPEIDA officials, the government signed 21 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth ₹9729.58 crore at the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit held in Lucknow in February.
About 17,000 people are expected to get employment in the Kanpur node of the defence corridor. At present, the Adani Defence Systems with an investment of ₹1500 crore has started setting up its unit on 250 acres. It is being claimed this unit would be Asia’s biggest one for producing arms and ammunition. Similarly, Genser Aerospace is investing ₹3000 crore in a unit to manufacture light transport aircraft. Anant Technologies would set up the first plant for space technology in Uttar Pradesh.
