Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani (File)
STATING THAT Gujarat recycles one-fourth of the country’s plastic waste, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Wednesday said that his government is taking keen interest in plastics. “In order to help more plastic industry set up base in the state, we have already announced a special policy for the plastic sector. We are also setting up a university that will focus on research, innovations and start-ups in plastic sector,” Rupani said while inaugurating “PlastIndia 2018” — an international exhibition featuring players from the plastic industry — in Gandhinagar.
The state government has already set up a dedicated plastic park at Dahej in south Gujarat and has proposed to set up a similar park at Sanand near Ahmedabad. “Gujarat is one of the largest producers of plastic in the country. Over Rs 1,400 crore of investments have come to Gujarat and we recycle one-fourth of the total plastic waste of the country. Thus, the state has also emerged as an eco-friendly state in dealing with plastics,” the CM said, adding that about 10,000 Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) units operate in the plastic sector of the state and offer employment to an estimated 82,000 people.
Several players participating in the exhibition expressed confidence about investing in Gujarat. Solvay Specialities India Pvt Ltd has earmarked an investment of Rs 500 crore in a brownfield project at Panoli GIDC in Bharuch district. “We plan to set up a new unit for producing Poly Ether Sulfones which have a wide variety of uses, including in membranes for hemodialysis and water filters,” said Amlan Das, MD (head, sales and marketing) of the company that has already invested about Rs 1,000 crore at Panoli.
Similarly, HPL Additives Ltd, a 54-year-old Faridabad-based entity, is looking to Gujarat for setting up its next manufacturing facility. “We are looking at establishing a global footprint for our manufacturing units. HPL is also looking at Gujarat for setting up its next manufacturing facility due to its logistical advantage as well as conducive business environment,” Umesh Anand, Joint MD, HPL Additives, said.
MP Taparia, Chairman, National Advisory Board of Plastindia Foundation, said, “The plastic industry will continue to grow in excess of 8-10 per cent.”