Friday, October 29, 2010

Plastic technology centre to come up in Orissa

Times of India, Oct 29, 2010

BHUBANESWAR: Orissa will have the country's first Advanced Plastic Processing Technology Centre (APPTC) at Balasore soon. The Planning Commission has approved the establishment of APPTC at a total project cost of Rs 15 crore.


Official sources said, Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) would be the apex body directing and controlling the project activities as per the directives of the department of chemicals and petrochemicals.

"Around 70 percent of the plastics industries of Orissa are situated in and around Balasore. So the government of India has decided to set up the centre in the coastal district. The State government has also agreed to share 50 percent of its cost and provide land for setting up of the APPTC," said an official of CIPET.

Due to globalization of trade and cost pressure, plastics industry in Indian context is looking forward to exploit the opportunities available in the export as well as domestic market. This would facilitate establishment of large-scale production facilities and processing plants to cater to the requirements.

"It is also envisioned that during the end of XI Five Year Plan, around 100 more plastics processing industries are expected to be established. Establishment of plastics park and the upcoming plastics processing industries in and around Balasore will boost the requirement of well trained technical manpower for the plastics industry," he said.

APPTC will in fact fill up the demand and supply gap of skilled manpower of the processing industry in the eastern region of the country by conducting long-term and short-term training programs in the areas of Plastics Processing Technologies (PPTs).

"The technology centre will meet the increasing requirements of the trained technical manpower for the plastic industry. Establishing APPTC will not only result in fulfilling the requirement of additional skilled technical manpower in the area of plastics processing but also will facilitate in rendering the Technology Support Services (TSS)," said local MP and Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Srikant Jena.

"The raw materials availability for the plastic industries in Balasore can further be increased to ensure sustainable development as one petrochemical complex is also coming up at Paradeep to be developed by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)," he informed.

Source said, the centre may come up at Baliapal, nearly 30 km from Balasore, where government buildings built at the cost of Rs 4.5 crore during the late 80s are lying unutilised. Last year an experts' team from CIPET had visited the spot and submited a report to the government. The infrastructure has been built on around 150 acres of land under the rehabilitation package during the proposed National Test Range (NTR) which was stalled in 1992 due to vehement opposition.

However, during the first year of its establishment, the centre is expected to train and develop around 150 students in the field of plastic processing through long-term academic programmes and around 100 participants through short duration training programmes in the areas of plastic processing technology.

Once the APPTC become full-fledged, the total intake of the students for long term courses will be 480 for three long term courses. In addition, the APPTC will also train 250 technical personnel from plastic industry every year through short term technology upgradation programmes.

The centre will also play a catalytic role in providing technology support services to the plastic and allied industries in and around Balasore. Further, it is expected that more than 150 plastics processing/allied industries are likely to be started. This will boost the skilled manpower requirement in the area of plastics processing.

Moreover, as Balasore is well connected with other parts of the State and also the neighbouring States, the industries located at these places will also utilize the services of the proposed Balasore plastics park.

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