Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 09: Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today laid the foundation stone of the Petrochemical Park to be set up on 481.79 acres of land at Ambalamugal in Kochi. The park is coming up on of land acquired by the state government from FACT, a central public sector undertaking. The Petrochemical Park is being set up under the Industries Department in collaboration with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL).

229 acres of land will be available in the petrochemical park for industrial ventures and at present, 171 acres of land has been allotted on lease for the development of BPCL. 33% of the land will be retained for the establishment of a green belt, as per the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Environment.

The Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) will provide the basic facilities at the park, including the supply of 12 million litres of water per day, the supply of 11 and 33 kilowatts of electricity, pollution control plant, GAIL gas pipeline and waste treatment system. The Rs 300 crore park is expected to be completed within 30 months. The petrochemical park has major investment potential by the automobile industry and industries dealing with building materials, plastics, pharmaceutical products, textile products and cosmetics. The park will get a new dimension with the Kochi-Bangalore Industrial Corridor becoming a reality.

The Petrochemical Park has received permission from the Union Ministry of Environment. KINFRA has so far received 17 applications for starting business ventures and all these applications have been approved by the district level allotment committee.

Laying the foundation stone through video conference, the Chief Minister said the Petrochemical Park will change the perception that Kerala is not an industry-friendly state. “The government was accepting investors with open arms and would provide all the necessary assistance.”

Industries Minister, Shri E P Jayarajan; MLAs VP Sajeendran and M Swaraj; Principal Secretary – Industries, A P M Mohammad Haneesh; District Collector, S Suhas; FACT CMD, Kishore Runtha; BPCL Kochi Refinery, Executive Director, Sanjay Khanna and KINFRA MD, Santosh were among those present on the occasion.

In another function, the Chief Minister inaugurated the power transformer plant of Kerala Electrical and Allied Engineering Limited (KEL) at their Mamala unit, in the presence of the Power Minister, Shri M M Mani. He also inaugurated an e-vehicle charging station set up in KEL premises to cater to the emerging e-vehicle market.