Development of IFFCO Kisan SEZ will provide 30,000 direct, 40,000 indirect jobs: Nellore Collector

All eyes are fixed on the IFFCO Kisan SEZ (IKSEZ), spread across 2,776 acres in Nellore district, following the State Cabinet’s recent approval to develop infrastructure in the zone with an investment of ₹870 crore.

The decision has rekindled hopes of industrial revival in the region, which has a huge potential to tap the agrarian market by attracting industries and as well provide local employment.

Part of the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC), the multi-product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is spread across 1,900 acres and the Domestic Tariff Zone (DTZ) spans 877 acres, which is well connected with railway network, highway network (NH 16), seaport and airport.

According to District Collector Himanshu Shukla, the development of the SEZ will provide 30,000 direct and 40,000 indirect jobs, besides creating 29,400 new jobs, if more industries set up base. Three major firms have already shown interest to establish units and signed MoUs, while many more are in the pipeline, according to sources.

It may be recalled that Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy had met the Indian Farmers Fertilisers Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) Chairman Dileep Sanghani and the then Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Udai Shanker Awasthi a couple of times this year to moot industrial development in the region.

Currently, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Hindustan Coco Cola Beverages (HCCB) Limited have their plants here.

However, for reasons unknown, the number of industrial units remain grossly incommensurate to the availability of facilities like compound wall, uninterrupted power supply, sewage treatment plant, storm water drains, internal roads and security.

The latest proposal to create amenities with an outlay of ₹870 crore is expected to fill the gap and pave the way for rapid industrialisation in the Nellore-Kavali belt.