State focuses of alternative electronics hubs

Kolkata: The state government is laying emphasis on developing alternative hubs for the manufacture of electronic equipment, ranging from mobiles, drones, solar and other components.

"We have developed three Electronic Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) at Naihati, Falta and Sonarpur. The lands for all these EMCs are ready for allotment. Apart from mobile manufacturing, we are welcoming solar, drones, robotics and LCD TVs in these clusters as well," a senior official of the state Information Technology & Electronics department said.

Additional Chief Secretary of IT&E Debashis Sen recently visited the EMC at Naihati situated on 70 acres of land and took stock of the services on offer. "The facilities in this park have been developed by WEBEL. A site office will come up soon. We are expecting a lot of electronic units here as the place has its locational advantage. It is an hour-long drive from the city and is very close to the industrial park of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation," the official added.

According to a senior official from WEBEL, the EMC at Falta has 70 acres of land while the one at Sonarpur has 10 acres. The state government has already invited applications from investors across India for setting up electronic manufacturing units on developed land parcels in these parks. The land allotment will be processed on first-come first-serve basis.

It may be mentioned that the rise of mobiles in India has been phenomenal, driven by the cheapest data in the world. In 2011, there was only one mobile manufacturing unit in the country, whereas now there are more than 400 with most of them located around Noida.

The move on the part of the state government assumes significance with a top US based advocacy group recently claiming that about 200 US companies are seeking to move their manufacturing from China to India after the general elections.