Govt allots 1,972 acres of salt pans for industrial parks

Chennai: The Centre’s Salt Commissionerate, Government of India, has allotted 1,972 acres of salt pans to various public sector companies in Tamil Nadu to put up industrial parks.

The NTPC Tamil Nadu Energy Company Ltd (NTECL), a joint venture between NTPC Ltd and Tamil Nadu Electricity Board has been allotted 1,000 acres, Ennore Port Ltd (764 acres), HPCL (108 acres) and BPCL (100 acres), said EM Sudharsana Natchiappan, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry.

For instance, the allotted salt lands will be used to develop the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor, he said addressing the ‘India Salt Conclave 2014’, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with Salt Commissionerate and Indian Salt Manufacturers Association.

Modernisation
The Minister urged the industry to modernise salt production to global standards. The industry should think of value addition , creation of supply chain and warehouses, and facilities in the port for scientific storage of salt for exports, he said.

Natchiappan also urged the industry to harness solar power. “We can seek support from public sector banks and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy,” he said.

Shubra Singh, Joint Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said the Centre plans to introduce an insurance scheme for the welfare of around one lakh salt workers to offer standard health facilities.

Indian salt industry produced about 25 million tonnes (mt) of salt. Of this 6 mt was edible salt, 12 mt for industrial purpose and 5 mt was for export.

Out of the 6 lakh acres of salt land, only 60,000 acres or 10 per cent belongs to the Salt Commissionerate in six States, including Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. With nearly 90 per cent of salt production being done by the private sector, they have a greater responsibility to modernise and do value-addition, she said.

MA Ansari, Salt Commissioner, said there was urgent need to improve the quality of salt to the international standards and improve the productivity per acre of land as land is limited. Nearly 95 per cent of the salt industry was in the small-scale industry.

PV Rajendran, Chairman, Joint Action committee, Salt Manufacturers Association, said salt producing regions such as Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu lacked basic infrastructure facilities, including logistics support for the transportation of salt.