Gujarat to denotify forest land for industrial projects

September 9th, 2009 GANDHINAGAR - The Gujarat government has decided to establish a department of climate change to attract more renewable energy generation projects to the state. A senior official in the chief minister's office here said Wednesday the Gujarat government has already implemented its solar and wind energy policy and will prepare a biomass energy policy now.

September 2nd, 2009 KOLKATA - A political solution was necessary before any decision on the Singur land, the West Bengal government said Wednesday, a day after the Tata Group said it would return the land if it was repaid the money spent to set up the now abandoned car plant. "A political solution is necessary before taking any decision on the land," state Industry Minister Nirupam Sen said on the sidelines of a programme here.

September 1st, 2009 KOLKATA - Auto major Tata Motors, which pulled out its small car Nano project from Singur in West Bengal last October amid controversies, Tuesday said it would return the factory land to the state government if it was paid the money it had spent to set up the now-abandoned plant. At the same time, it emphasised it would not stand in the way of any development on the land, the acquisition of which sparked off violent protests by a section of local farmers led by the main opposition party of the state, the Trinamool Congress.

August 15th, 2009 KOLKATA - The West Bengal government Saturday said it will acquire land for the projects announced by Railways Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee, whose party has been involved in several anti-land acquisition agitations in the state, has announced many projects for the state, and the railways need at least 321 acres for eight projects across various districts.

July 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Two hundred and fifty-four proposals to divert 50,818 hectares of protected forest land have been approved by the government since the Forest (Conservation) Act was passed in 1980, parliament was informed Monday. Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh informed the Rajya Sabha in response to a question that the maximum amount of protected forest land, 12,579.12 hectares, had been diverted for coal mining in Chhattisgarh, followed by Andhra Pradesh (12,709.62 hectares), Madhya Pradesh (10,980.37), Jharkhand (7,545.33), Orissa (2,899.99), Uttar Pradesh (1,984.83) and Maharashtra (1,815.09).

June 15th, 2009 PANAJI - Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat Monday said the state government has through a cabinet decision formally scrapped a controversial special economic zone (SEZ) policy. Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Kamat said: "We have decided to withdraw the Goa SEZ policy 2006.

May 12th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - Gas marketing major Gail India is planning to establish a series of wind power projects in Gujarat during the current fiscal, a senior official said Tuesday. 'The company has invited bids for setting up wind power projects of 4.5 to 5 MW capacity each on a turn-key basis.

April 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Hit by severe cash crunch, realty major DLF has requested the central government to denotify four special economic zone (SEZ) projects that were allotted to it. These four SEZs are IT and IT enabled Services (ITeS) projects, the company said in a statement Friday.

February 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India's cabinet Monday approved three major projects under its policy for petroleum, chemicals and petrochemical investment regions (PCPIR) - one each in West Bengal, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. 'Proposals, accepted from the state governments, have been approved.

January 12th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - Astonfield Renewable Resources Ltd (ARRL) will execute a mega 200 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project across Gujarat. The venture is touted as the largest renewable energy project in India.

January 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The infrastructure development arm of a leading finance company in the infrastructure space Tuesday announced that it had signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Gujarat state government to build a thermal and solar power plant. A statement from Infrastructure Development Finance Company Ltd.

January 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A leading construction and infrastructure development company Monday signed deals worth $8.3 billion with the Gujarat government to develop a water front city and three pipeline projects in the state. The first memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) and the Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board to develop a water front city at a total investment of $8 billion while the second MOU was signed with the water department of the state for developing three water pipeline projects worth $300 million.

January 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Singapore-based Universal Success Enterprises Ltd (USEL) Monday said it has signed three agreements with the Gujarat government and will invest about Rs.87,000 crore (Rs.870 billion) in various infrastructure projects. USEL, a diversified group in the field of infrastructure development, real estate, energy trading, hospitality and manufacturing, has identified thermal power generation, seaports, and mixed-use industrial and urban development as focus areas in West Bengal, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

January 4th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - Gujarat is aiming to achieve an annual industrial growth of 14.5 to 15 percent for the next five years, Minister of State for Industry and Energy Saurabh Patel said Monday. 'The Planning Commission has set a growth target of 11.2 percent for Gujarat in the next five years.

December 22nd, 2008 AHMEDABAD - Despite the global economic slowdown, Gujarat is still on 'investors' radar' and has the potential to take the maximum advantage of the economic situation, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday. Laying foundation stone for Dishman Pharma's chemicals and engineering special economic zone (SEZ) at Bavala-Bagodara near here, he said: 'Gujarat is marching on the path of progress when global banks, insurance companies and firms are in the grip of economic crisis.' 'The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project is going to change the contours of industrial development maps.