Defence Corridor project picking up pace in UP

94% land acquired in Jhansi, 96% in Chitrakoot, 92% in Aligarh and 81% in Kanpur

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor, a greenfield project to increase investment in the state, is gathering momentum after the country moved into the Unlock mode amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The project is part of the “Make in India” scheme. The central government is developing the defence corridor in UP with the aim of expanding defence manufacturing capability within the country and reducing foreign dependency, said Awanish Kumar Awasthi, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). The objectives also include speeding up the development of Uttar Pradesh and increasing the manufacturing capacity here, he said, adding that the state government had named UPEIDA as the nodal agency for this work.

The Defence Industrial Corridor is being established in six districts of the state: Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Jhansi and Chitrakoot.

Out of the six nodes selected by UPEIDA for the Defence Corridor, the land purchase and acquisition process had started in four nodes. Awasthi said 94 % of land was acquired in Jhansi, 96% in Chitrakoot, 92% in Aligarh

and 81% in Kanpur.

The state government has offered various incentives and subsidies to spur the growth of the manufacturing industry. The Uttar Pradesh Defence and Aerospace Unit and Employment Promotion Policy-2019 was implemented to increase investment in this corridor, he said.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics and ordnance factories are already functioning in UP. The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Aero Space Systems and Equipment Research and Development Centers (ASERDC) and research institutes like IIT-Kanpur and IIT-BHU are also working in the state.

In the Bundelkhand region, the Defence Corridor is proposed to be set up on 3,525-hectare

land. In Aligarh, the entire acquired land for the project has been almost allotted by UPEIDA to investors. UPEIDA has also signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with 25 companies to invest in Aligarh and a total investment of Rs 1,500 crore is proposed.

Aerospace and defence manufacturing research lab, units related to drones, small arms and electronics were proposed in Aligarh, he said.

A defence park is proposed to be set up on 213-hectare land in Kanpur. Investment proposals have been received from different companies. In Lucknow, HAL and BDL have demanded about 250-acre land. Proposals were received from Tata Technology, Siemens and Dassault for the establishment of Central Facility Centre, he said.