Teething troubles at NIMZ

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president and Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao laid the foundation stone for the Integrated Defence System (IDS) by VEM Technologies at the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) near Zaheerabad in June.

During the function, the Minister had announced that VEM Technologies would establish a skill development centre at NIMZ, which would impart training to eligible locals and try to employ them depending on the requirement.

But, even after three months, some issues regarding land are being faced by the authorities. According to sources, some land were yet to be physically handed over to the company.

Two weeks ago, farmers of Chilapally, Chilapally tanda, Bardipur and Yelgoi villages stalled the survey works by officials demanding more compensation.

Some of the farmers, who had been assigned land in the past by previous governments and surrendered it for a price, sought more time till the standing crops were harvested and also a hike in compensation. They reportedly argued with the authorities that they had been offered a very low compensation.

Though there is no official confirmation, it was stated that the farmers have been demanding a compensation of ₹15 lakh per acre whereas they have been promised only about ₹3.5 lakh.

On Saturday, Collector A. Sharath held a review meeting with the officials and instructed them to address these problems immediately.

“Resolve the issues related to land for VEM Technologies immediately, finalise the road re-routing and submit estimates for power lines before October 7. In addition to speeding up the process of land acquisition, take steps to start a skill development centre by VEM at the earliest,” he said.

Telangana government to offer 121 sq yd plots to mollify NIMZ oustees

The State government in 2012, had decided to acquire 12,634 acres of land in 17 villages, but the process for acquisition of the land began only in 2015.

SANGAREDDY:  For the first time, it appears as though the state government has decided to listen to farmers while acquiring their lands for any public purpose, rather than steam-rolling its way. For National Investment Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ), the officials, on the direction of MAUD minister K T Rama Rao, are focussing on issues that the farmers have been raising since the beginning, for surrendering their lands.

The State government, in 2012, had decided to acquire 12,634 acres of land in 17 villages in Nayakal and Jharasangam mandals in the Zaheerabad Assembly constituency but the process for acquisition of the land began only in 2015 after survey and other works were done. Officials, who had planned to acquire 3,501.33 acres in the first phase and 8,219.10 acres in the second phase, have acquired only 3,000 acres in the past seven years. Officials say the delay in the land acquisition was due to the fact that the oustees were dissatisfied with the compensation offered and were staging protests while some other farmers went to the court.

As the stalemate continued for years, KTR, recently, after farmers staged a protest while he was on an official programme in the NIMZ, had asked the officials to give “something” extra to the farmers in addition to the payment of a price mutually agreed upon for the land they are going to lose to the NIMZ. The government, in the past, had paid `5.65 lakh per acre but now the farmers argue that the land prices had gone up to `50 lakh to `1 crore per acre and what the government was offering was just a pittance.

To keep the farmers in good humour, the government had upped the price to `15 lakh per acre but even this price has not found favour with them. The government is actively considering offering the farmers a 121 sq yard house plot to each of them near the NIMZ which would over time appreciate greatly. The government believes that the farmers by holding on to the house site would be able to reap a great benefit, going forward.

As some farmers have already come forward to surrender their lands for a price of `15 lakh per acre, the government in a goodwill gesture is trying to provide them with house plots as well. After implementing this idea in NIMZ, it might extend the same to other areas in the district.

The government is also considering roping in industries that are likely to come up in NIMZ to help the farmers by way of financial assistance. The officials are also trying to explain to the industrial units to provide employment to the eligible in farmers’ families. Rama Rao, in his recent visit to NIMZ, had revealed that a training centre would be set up to impart the training to the local unemployed so that they could be gainfully employed.

Telangana: VEM Technologies integrated defence systems facility at Zaheerabad

HYDERABAD: Telangana-based aerospace & defence player VEM Technologies Pvt Ltd is setting up an integrated defence systems (IDS) facility at the National Investment & Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) at Zaheerabad in Sangareddy district on Hyderabad’s outskirts at an investment of around Rs 1000 crore.

The facility, for which the foundation stone was laid on Wednesday, is coming up on 511 acres and is touted as the first of its kind in the country with end-to-end infrastructure for assembly, integration and testing of weapon systems. The IDS facility will generate over 2,000 direct and about 4,000 indirect jobs.

According to VEMS, which already has two facilities in the state, the upcoming unit will be a full-fledged facility working on missiles, naval systems, UAS (unmanned aerial systems), medium and large aero and naval structures, radars, aero-engines, hot and cold integration, metrology and surface treatment for domestic and exports markets. The company, which has over 1,350 employees, including 600 engineers at its technology centre, caters to global defence players in US, Europe and Israel.

Telangana industries minister KT Rama Rao said the unit will give a major boost to the Centre’s Atmanirbhar Bharat’ drive.

KTR launches Telangana’s first plug-and-play EV Park in Zaheerabad

KTR launches Telangana’s first plug-and-play EV Park in Zaheerabad

It has an incubation center for EV startups that can leverage MG’s manufacturing capabilities & infrastructure.

Hyderabad: Telangana minister for Industries KT Rama Rao on Wednesday launched Telangana’s first plug-and-play EV Park and two, three-wheeler electric vehicles produced by Vayu Motors and Zero 21 in a function held on Wednesday at MG Automative’s EV Park in Zaheerabad.

EV(Electrical Vehicles) Park is the first of its kind in Telangana. It has an incubation center for EV startups that can leverage MG’s manufacturing capabilities & infrastructure. It is already incubating enterprises like Padmaja Greentech and Zero 21 Renewable Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd.

MG EV Park is interacting with a few other EV startups to help launch their businesses and wants to be a catalyst in developing fossil-free transport solutions, a press note from the EV park informed.

He also unveiled two models of new two-wheelers (scooters), Low-Speed Retro, and High-Speed Pace.

Retro is a city speed scooter designed for Indian conditions. With an LFP battery pack, developed with a smart BMS, Retro is a safe and robust product. The pace is a performance scooter, developed using highly reliable LFP battery pack architecture. With a top speed of 70 kmph, it is the most desirable scooter in terms of safety, design, and reliability, the company said.

These two EV scooters are manufactured using safe and proven LFP(Lithium Ferro Phosphate), Battery packs, it informed.

Four different models of three wheelers were launched under the brand name.

A total of 4 vehicles shall be launched under the brand name Zero 021. This is first of its kind, indigenously designed and developed Fiber Reinforced Plastic 3 wheeler EV Passenger vehicles

The electric three-wheelers include Teer and Smart Mule-X. While the former is a high-speed passenger vehicle and the latter is a good carrier.

Chargers for EVs were also launched for buses and four-wheelers, including fast chargers for buses and cars.

Speaking on the occasion KT Rama Rao congratulated the young entrepreneurs behind today’s launches.

“The future of world transportation will be sustainable Mobility. It will be EV Mobility. The difference between conventional vehicles and electric vehicles is they are computers on wheels. They are battery-driven,” he said.

KTR further said that the automobile industry in the past was concentrated in a few pockets like Chennai and Pune.

“Now thanks to our futuristic EV policy, Zaheerabad is emerging as the hub for not just automobiles but also EV Vehicles. keeping this in mind and the demand for a skilled workforce, we will establish an Automobile Centric Centre of Excellence which will be named after former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, KTR announced. So that more localities will be automobile job-ready,” he remarked.

Telangana urges Centre to reconsider decision on defence corridor

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Wednesday urged the Centre to reconsider its decision to set up a defence industrial production corridor in Uttar Pradesh, saying that Hyderabad-Bengaluru is the ideal location for the project.

Industries Minister K. T. Rama Rao said the Centre should rise above political considerations and political agenda to encourage progressive states like Telangana.

He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for VEM Technologies’s Integrated Defence Systems at National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ), Zaheerabad in Sangareddy district.

He recalled that he had requested then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to approve a defence industrial production corridor between Hyderabad and Bengaluru as they have the required ecosystem for the project.

He pointed out that Hyderabad has many defence public sector undertakings and more than 1,000 small and medium companies, while Bengaluru has HAL and Air Force-related institutions. If a defence industrial production corridor is created here, it will benefit districts like Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy and Wanaparthy in Telangana, Kurnool and Anantapur districts in Andhra Pradesh.

He said that if the defence industry is to gain impetus and a slogan like ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ is to be translated into reality, the Centre should reconsider its decision.

“It should set up the corridor at a place where there is an ecosystem. If you set it up in Uttar Pradesh because you have votes and seats and political preferences there, it won’t work,” he said.

“Even in Hyderabad, this did not happen overnight. The PSUs have been in existence for decades, creating a favourable environment for the growth of the sector,” he said.

KTR also told the Centre that when major global companies come to invest, they look at places where there is infrastructure and they see how soon they get return on investment. “They don’t see states or cities while deciding to invest. They look at the countries and what they offer in terms of infrastructure and ecosystem,” he said.

VEM will invest Rs. 1,000 crore in the facility coming up on 511 acres in NIMZ. This is billed as the largest investment in the private sector in the defence manufacturing industry in India. The unit will employ 2,000 people in the next five years.

VEM is a defence and aerospace company that offers end-to-end technology solutions and systems for various weapon systems for land, air, and naval applications.

One of the top five defence companies in India, VEM will manufacture weapons systems and defence equipment like anti-tank guided missiles, small arms, sniper rifles, unmanned aerial system, underwater weapons systems and radars at their unit at NIMZ.

The work on the unit will start in August and the unit is expected to commence production in 2024-25.

Farmers of NIMZ Zaheerabad protest for fair compensation

Hyderabad, June 22 (IANS) Mild tension prevailed during Telangana Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao’s visit to Zaheerabad in Sangareddy district on Wednesday as the farmers staged a protest demanding fair compensation for the lands acquired for National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZ).

Police had to use mild force to control the protestors ahead of Rao’s visit to lay the foundation stone for a defence unit.

As the protestors tried to proceed towards the venue, police carried out a baton charge to disperse them. A couple of farmers were injured in the incident.

Police had closed the roads leading to Zaheerabad from various villages in Jharasangam and Nyalkal mandals to prevent locals from staging any protest during the programme.

The state government is developing the NIMZ over 12,635 acres and on Wednesday, KTR, as the minister is popularly known, laid the foundation stone for VEM Technologies’ defence manufacturing unit which is coming up on 511 acres.

Speaking at the event, he asked the district authorities and public representatives to ensure that those losing lands to NIMZ are adequately compensated. “If possible, pay them more compensation by going out of the way,” he said.

The minister also wanted the district administration and the industry to make sure the farmer families whose lands are acquired get employment in NIMZ.

“Every family losing land to NIMZ should get employment in NIMZ, then they will cooperate. The industry also has to work with us. They are losing gold-like land and this will naturally cause pain but if they are assured their future generation will get jobs in NIMZ, they will come forward (to give lands),” he said.

KTR urged VEM Technologies to give preference to locals in employment in semi-skilled and unskilled categories. “This will be a win-win situation for both you and local youth.

“For industry to be in consonance with locals and local ecosystem is extremely important in terms of the longevity of the project.”

The minister welcomed a proposal by VEM Technologies to set up a skill centre for locals to train them for jobs in their unit. The company will bear 50 per cent of the cost for the proposed centre.

Vem Technologies becomes first company to ground at NIMZ Zaheerabad

Sangareddy: On a historical day, the first company Vem Technologies Private Limited, a Defence company, will be going to start its work at NIMZ (National Investment and Manufacturing Zone) on Wednesday.

The IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao will lay a foundation for the construction of the Vem Technologies company at NIMZ Zaheerabad during a ceremony on Wednesday morning. Vem Technologies will invest Rs 1,000 crore initially and export the Defence machinery to various nations besides supplying to the Indian Army. It will create direct employment for 1,050 personnel besides generating indirect employment for another 1,000 personnel. The Telangana State Industrial and Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TSIIC) has allotted 511 acres of land during January this year to the Defence Company. Vem Technologies will start its first phase of production by the end of the year 2023 and the second phase in 2024.

The department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Government of India had accorded permission for the setting up of NIMZ at Zaheerabad in 2013 by acquiring 12,635.14 acres of land in 17 villages spread in Nyalkal and Jharasangam Mandals. While 8,773 acres of land was Patta Land, the remainder was government land. During the first phase, the TSIIC acquired 3,100 acres out of the 4,520 acres proposed. The process for acquiring the second phase of land was underway.

Zaheerabad MLA K Manik Rao has termed June 22 as a red-letter day in the history of Zaheerabad since it is going to be a first step towards making the area industrially vibrant. DCMS Chairman Malkapuram Shiva Kumar has said the Zaheerabad area was known for poverty and backwardness for a long. However, he said that under the leadership of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao it has been experiencing a transformation. Once Vem Technologies starts work here, Shiva Kumar hoped that many companies will rush to set up their shops here in the next couple of years. Meanwhile, the officials were gearing up to complete the land acquisition soon. (eom)

Direct road from Zaheerabad to NIMZ via NH-65

With activity picking up at the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) near Zaheerabad in Sangareddy district and several companies showing interest to establish units, the government has been focusing on creating infrastructure.
Three industries — Triton Electric Vehicles, VEM Technologies Limited (a defence firm) and British EV Tech startup ‘One Moto’ — have already signed MoUs with the State government to establish their units. Some of the firms’ representatives had already visited Yelgoi, one of the 17 villages under the limits of NIMZ, to examine the land proposed for the units.

A road of 9.5-km length and 100-feet width will be laid from Zaheerabad to NIMZ linking it directly to NH-65 (Hyderabad-Mumbai road). This will be a one-and-a-half hour drive to various destinations for representatives of industries. The airport at Bidar will be a half-an-hour drive from NIMZ.

The proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR) will be connected to NIMZ within 40-km at Peddapur in the outskirts of Sangareddy district headquarters.

Officials have completed the survey and identified that about 65 acres of land was required to construct the road that will connect NH-65 at Ranzole and pass through the outskirts of Huggelli, Kishtapur, Machanoor and Bardipur.

Currently, there are four routes to reach the villages that will comprise NIMZ. Those coming from Hyderabad have to pass through Pastapur, Kishtapur, Machanoor and Bardipur. Another route is from Munipally, Peddachelmeda, and Jharasangam to Yelgoi. The third route is from Kankol, Thatipalli, Singitam, Raikod Chowrasta and Rukumapur. The last one is for those coming from Bidar and have to pass through Rejinthal, Gangwar and Hadnoor.

The officials are gearing to issue notification for land acquisition and the process was expected to commence shortly. “There might not be much resistance from farmers as their land will fetch a higher price once the road is laid. The notification was issued about a month ago. The land acquisition process will be completed as per LA Act,” said an officer on condition of anonymity.

Environment Ministry issues clearance for NIMZ, Zaheerabad

Hyderabad:  Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change granted environment clearance to National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) coming up at Nyalkal and Jharasangam mandals near Zaheerabad in Sangareddy.

Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) is establishing the NIMZ spread over 12, 635 acres in the two mandals. The total project cost is Rs 3,095 crore and it is expected to generate direct and indirect employment to over 2.6 lakh persons.

Of the 12,635 acres in which the NIMZ is to be developed, TSIIC possesses nearly 3,100 acres. Of these, about 1,484 acres is patta or private land and nearly 1,616 acres is government land.

The project land falls in 17 revenue villages, including Ganeshpur, Husselli, Ganjoti, Mungi, Rukmapur, Hadnur, Namtabad, Mamidgi, Kalbemal, Basanthpur, Metalkunta, Gangwar, Rejinthal and Malkanpahad villages of Nyalkal Mandal and Chilepalle, Yelgoi and Bardipur villages of Jharasangam Mandal, Sangareddy District.

The Ministry in its letter said there was no protected area (PA) including national parks, sanctuaries and tiger reserves etc. within 10 km of the project site. The project area was also not located within the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) or Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA) notified by the Ministry. No forest diversion was involved in the proposed project, it further said.

Telangana State Pollution Control Board conducted a public hearing January 20, 2021. NIMZ would house electrical equipment industries, metals, food and agro processing, automobile, transport equipment and others.

TSIIC would develop the required infrastructure including water supply, water distribution, internal roads, storm water drains, electrical distribution network, internal street lighting, wastewater and waste management facilities, technical and support buildings, housing along with allied facilities.

Land acquisition for NIMZ a herculean task

The government has already allotted land for three industries on the land that had so far been acquired.

SANGA REDDY: Officials are up against the herculean task of acquiring land for the National Investment Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) in the Nyalkal and Jharasangam mandals in Zaheerabad Assembly constituency. They have been given a target of acquiring 12,600 acres in the Jharasangam and Nyalkal but they have so far acquired only 3,000 acres. This is on account of some farmers approaching the courts citing various reasons including the non-implementation of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act.

The government has already allotted land for three industries on the land that had so far been acquired. With the state government promoting the establishment of industries and the businessmen who believe that real estate has golden future in the area, acquiring land and selling plots after making layouts, the value of the land has skyrocketed.

Parcels of lands near Zaheerabad are priced anywhere between Rs 2 crore and Rs 10 per acre already. Even in Jharasangam and Nyalkal mandal, no land is available for anything less than Rs 50 lakh per acre. As a result, farmers with Patta lands are sitting tight as the government is offering only Rs 9 lakh per acre which does not hold a candle to what the private sector is offering.

The farmers say that they cannot get a 200 sq yards plot at Zaheerabad with Rs 9 lakh. They say the government had spent Rs 15 lakh to Rs 30 lakh for the construction of houses for the oustees of irrigation projects in Siddpet and want the same price for them too. Farmers say they welcome the government’s establishment of NIMS, but not at the cost of their lives. The officials are focusing on how much more patta land is to be acquired within the Jharasangam and Nyalkal mandals.