Industries Minister A C Moideen had told ‘Express’ in April that KINFRA would be able to start work as soon as the land gets handed over to the state government. He had expressed the possibility of many industrial units coming forward to set up units inside the park, giving a boost to the local economy.
Ambalamugal, which has for long endured huge industrial units, had its share of environmental concerns over the years, which is often a trade-off for development activities.
Speaking to ‘Express’ on the upcoming petrochemical plant, Vadavucodu-Puthencruz panchayat president P K Velayudhan says they welcome any initiative that leads to the development of the region, without compromising on the mandated safety regulations. Ambalamugal is part of the Vadavucodu block panchayat.
“We cannot compromise on the safety of 800-odd families living at Ambalamugal. If KINFRA takes the necessary precautionary measures like setting up a green belt across the plant, we are eagerly looking forward to it becoming functional,” added Velayudhan.
Earlier, the state government has planned to take over 600 acres of FACT land for the proposed project. Besides, the state government has stipulated that only dry land would be taken over. However, at present around 487 acres of land is available for the project and 30 per cent of which would be set aside for maintaining green vegetation. Of the total land available for acquisition, 150 acres of land is payable at Rs 1 crore per acre and remaining acres of land at Rs 2.47 crore, totalling a little less than Rs 1000 crore.
The issue of rising water, air and noise pollution had already been a bone of contention with the locals, BPCL and FACT at Ambalamugal. The State Pollution Control Board was pulled up for its apathy in initiating action against industries responsible for polluting the environment. Meanwhile, KINFRA vows to stick to all prescribed guidelines issued by the Central and State Pollution Control Board while setting up the park.
“We will take all necessary steps to ensure minimal environmental damage,” said T Unnikrishnan, general manager, KINFRA. The petrochemical park is set to host 25 industries with an estimated investment of 1000 crores. KINFRA, still in the process of taking possession of the land from FACT, plans to throw open the park for investments in the mid-2020.