Bhopal, May 8: The facilities being extended by the state government to entrepreneurs signing MoUs for investment in Madhya Pradesh and its friendly assistance to industrialists have started to bear fruits. The best precedent of this is a unit of ACC Ltd which has attained such a position within six months that it would be able to start production as per schedule.

Six months ago, famous cement producers ACC Ltd had signed an MoU with the state government at Global Investors Summit-2007 held on October 26-17 at Indore. Under the MoU, a cement plant of 2.5 million tonnes capacity is proposed to be set up at Vijayraghogarh Tahasil in Katni district by ACC Ltd. Establishment cost of the unit is Rs 1500 crore. Apart from the cement factory, a 25 megawatt captive power plant is also being set up by the company at a cost of Rs 150 crore.

Managing director of ACC Ltd Shri Sumit Bannerjee said that the state government extended unprecedented cooperation in preliminary preparations for establishing the unit. He said that fulfilling all the promises made in the MoU, the state government made the prospecting licence available to the company for 867 hectare land near village Poonchi. Relaxation in commercial taxes meant for mega investment projects was also given to the company in time. A confident looking Bannerjee gave the credit of this rapid progress to Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Industry Minister Shri Jayant Malaiya. He said that due to adherence of the state government to its 'commitments', the unit is set to start production at the scheduled time which is the first quarter of the year 2011.

It may be mentioned that ACC Ltd had started its maiden production unit in the state in the year 1923 at Kaimore in Katni district. This unit gives revenue to the tune of about Rs 60 lakh per annum to the state government. The new unit would give even more revenue apart from creating employment opportunities and strengthening infrastructure in the rural areas.

ACC Ltd, which has Rs seven thousand 189 crore turnover, owns 14 modern cement plants, 19 sales offices and several zonal offices throughout the country. The company's Kaimore unit has spent crores of rupees on community works, economic development, conservation of environment, participation in Jalabhishek Abhiyan, plantation in fallow land, water supply, construction of roads and wells, education, health, professional training etc. during the last many years.