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Videocon’s Semiconductor Facility at HYD |
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The Videocon Group on Friday unveiled a slew of projects for the state.
These include assembling LCD unit at Taratala, creating two IT and biotech SEZs
in Siliguri and Kharagpur, building a 32 lakh sqft IT tower in Salt Lake,
setting up a semiconductor facility near Kolkata.
Although VN
Dhoot, the chairman of the Videocon group, did not provide the total investment
required to implement all the projects, many feel it could be anywhere between
Rs 3000-4000 crore.
Videocon group's flagship company Videocon Industries is likely to set up a
semiconductor chip design and prototype fabrication unit in the state, if the
government is willing to provide 100 acres in and around Kolkata and subsidies
on the cost of water usage.
Dhoot, also the chairman of the Rs 7745 crore Videocon Industries, was in
Kolkata to meet chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. He said the
semiconductor project would involve investments of around Rs 1000 crore.
"The semiconductor unit needs huge amount of water during its operation,
so after getting the land we will ask the chief minister to subsidise the water
cost."
Dhoot clarified the company does not plan to set up any unit at Hyderabad, replacing
Kolkata, as was reported earlier in the media. "There have been proposals
from many states. Now with the chief minister promising us a better deal
compared with other places, we will set up the semiconductor unit here."
Bhattacharjee said he has invited Dhoot to set up the unit in Kolkata.
"The highly skilled employees in the semiconductor complex can't work in a
rural area. The employees need an urban environment to live and work. We have
decided to allocate 100 acres near Kolkata to Videocon."
Though Bhattacharjee did not indicate the land position, he said one of the
factors that tilt the decision in favour of the state is the possibility of
collaboration with the India Design Centre.
The India Design Centre, which will comprise design and prototype fab unit,
will come up in the Salt Lake Electronics Complex in the next one year. The
design centre is being set up jointly through private-public partnership, with
Webel as one of the parties.
"Our unit will work jointly with the centre in the areas of design and
prototype chip fabrication. This will help us a lot to run an independent
unit," Dhoot said.
Besides the semiconductor unit, Videocon has also decided to set up an IT and
biotech SEZ unit at Daabgram in Siliguri on 50 acres and another at Guptamani
in Kharagpur on 2500 acres.
SOURCES:
The Financial Express
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