TS Govt to Set up Turmeric Spice Park in N'bad Dist

With the Centre not in favour of setting up Turmeric Spice Park in the state, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to set up the park in Padigal village in Nizamabad district with funds from the state government.

The Central government organisation, Spices Board of India has to set up Spice Park. However, the Board is not willing to set up the park, and the state government had decided to provide land and bear all the expenditure needed for setting up the park in Nizamabad district.

Rao took the decision to this effect soon.

As per the recommendations of the 11th Finance Commission, the then UPA government had resolved to set up one Spice Park in each district and Nizamabad was selected in the combined AP.

After the division of the state, Rao wrote a letter to the Centre to sanction spice park for Telangana. The state government acquired 40 acres land in Padigal village by paying Rs. 5 crore and requested the Centre to set up the spice park there.

The present NDA government too approved the demand and conducted a survey. It also estimated that it requires Rs. 30.81 crore for the park which includes processing unit, godowns, administrative building and computer trading centre. But, later the Centre government expressed its inability to set up the park.

Rao has decided to set up the Turmeric Spice Park at a cost of Rs. 30.81 crore. The state government would spend Rs. 15 crore this year and Rs 15.81 crore next year.

Once the park gets operational, the allied industries too would come up in the area benefiting the farmers in a big way.

Balkonda MLA Vemula Prasanth Reddy thanked Rao and Nizamabad MP K Kavitha, who took up the issue with the Centre several times, for the decision.

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS