Vacant land aplenty in SEZs, still companies crib over acquisition hurdle.

Over 53,000 acre or around 215 square kilometer - which is almost twice the size of Chandigarh - is lying vacant in special economic zones across the country even as industry is complaining of problems regarding land acquisitions to set up factories.

The land is lying vacant despite several developers dropping plans to set up zones due to their inability to acquire land. According to data available with the government, which has been shared with some overseas investors, the maximum amount of vacant land in SEZs is in Maharashtra, followed closely by Gujarat. The two are among the most industrialized states in the country.

Surprisingly, SEZs in Haryana - which boasted of the highest numbers a few years ago - do not have much spare capacity, and also point to a majority of the zones being devoted for information technology (IT) sectors. The commerce ministry has made a pitch to investors to invest in existing zones.


TIMES OF INDIA