Special Economic Zone: DPR of Rs 150 crore readied

The much ambitious, SEZ (Special Economic Zone) of Tripura located in Jalefa under Sabroom, about 130 Km away from the city, is being readied for investors.

The preparations of making the said location well-versed with all the potential facilities to offer a viable atmosphere to the investors have been already under progress in war footings.

Jalefa, a rural dwelling that falls before the Sabroom town, which is set to be a strategic point in Tripura’s map due to its connectivity with the neighboring country, is being decked out with all the required services—electricity, road transport and other amenities for industrial units. A DPR (Detailed Project Planning) of Rs 150 crore has been also chalked out for value addition of the location.

One of the highly placed source in the TIDC (Tripura Industrial Development Corporation, the nodal agency, which has been given the responsibility of developing the area, said, we are working wholeheartedly to develop the area. The completion of the project is set to usher in a new dawn for the state. Once the connectivity through river Feni, trans-boundary river, between Sabroom and Bangladesh, Sabroom will not be a less important place than Agartala, the source thinks.

Not only this, he added, instruction has been given to all the line departments to make the location well-equipped with all the necessary facilities. Roads connecting the area will be expanded, is some strategic points, electricity services, communication each and every service to that area will be revamped, the source told this website.   

Apart from this, the state government also performed well in terms of wooing investors from outside. TIDC Chairman Tinku Roy said, 18 new units have been allotted land in several industrial areas of the state with an expected investment plan of Rs 85.1139 crore with manpower mobilization of 541. Exhorting hope that the state would soon become a logistic hub of the entire northeast region, he said, all the plans are in implementing stage.

“After coming into power, the TIDC brought some structural changes. Earlier, the TIDC only meant for loan interest-driven business. It used to finance vehicles and houses which, if envisaged, are not directly linked to industrial purposes but are steps to provide privileges to a certain group of people. Now the corporation is looking forward to work on ease of doing business. If we can successfully woo investments, the dream of self-reliant Tripura will not be far ahead” Roy told this correspondent.       

Notably, The SEZ will have Duty free import/domestic procurement of goods for development, operation and maintenance of SEZ units, 100% Income Tax exemption on export income for SEZ units under Section 10AA of the Income Tax Act for first 5 years, 50% for next 5 years thereafter and 50% of the ploughed back export profit for next 5 years. (Sunset Clause for Units will become effective from 01.04.2020).   

Since the area is close to the Chittagong Port and Feni River in South Tripura, it will provide more overseas business opportunities to the native people.