Mahendragarh: 5 years on, industrial township at Khudana yet to take off

Ravinder Saini

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Mahendragarh, February 22

Local residents were quite hopeful about having a new source of employment when Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had laid the foundation stone of the Industrial Modern Township (IMT) project in Khudana village here in February 2019 just before the Lok Sabha elections, but five years on, it is yet to see the light of day.

Panchayat provided 1,043 acres

The Khudana gram panchayat had provided 1,043 acres for the project and the Chief Minister had announced to spend Rs 200 crore to develop its basic infrastructure, said an official

The project is yet to take off as industrialists seem to be reluctant to set up their units in the IMT as the site is located away from Delhi and they feel the potential to develop the area as an industrial hub is low.

However, the Khudana gram panchayat has provided 1,043 acres for the project and the Chief Minister had announced to spend Rs 200 crore to develop its basic infrastructure, said an official.

“In 2020, the HSIIDC had invited expression of interest (EoI) in this respect. The move did not bear fruit as merely two industries turned up for the purpose even after HSIIDC officials personally contacted industrialists and also extended the date of submitting the EoI. Thereafter, the project was put in cold storage,” said a source.

The hope for the implementation of the project revived again recently when a team of HSIIDC from Chandigarh visited the proposed site following the efforts of former minister and senior BJP leader Ram Bilas Sharma. The team inspected the land available and roads connecting the highways.

On the occasion, HSIIDC Executive Director Sandeep Chawla stated that the work to execute the project would be started at the earliest. A tourism complex would also be built, he said. A special camp would be organised soon so that interested farmers could upload their land on the e-bhoomi portal, he added.

Meanwhile, Ram Bilas Sharma, while talking to The Tribune, said all hurdles regarding the land for the project would be resolved soon. “Two days ago, I met Chief Minister Manohar LaL Khattar in Chandigarh, who assured me of making a provision for funds for the project in the upcoming budget. He has also directed the officers concerned to expedite the work to execute the project.”

Sharma said, “The state government will surely establish the IMT in Khudana but the villagers will have to cooperate. A team came here following the directions of the Chief Minister, with whom I had a conversation about the project over the phone.”

The former minister informed that some private land also falls on the proposed site for the project hence the HSIIDC had opened the government portal to get their consent for buying their land for the project.

“Moreover, a waterworks at the cost of Rs 30 crore is also being constructed adjacent to the IMT so as to fulfill the water requirement. The boundary wall of the water works has been built while the pumps are being installed for the water connections. The site of IMT is located in the middle of a hilly area which will also attract tourists,” Sharma said.