India’s first defence park, coming up in Palakkad, has got a big boost with leading companies in the defence and aerospace sector such as BEML, Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) agreeing to ask its suppliers to establish their component manufacturing facilities in the 60-acre park.
The New Indian Express reported that the civil works for the Kinfra Defence Park in Ottapalam, which is going on, will be over by January 2019, and the park will be launched by March 2019, ciitng source. The defence park is established as part of Centre’s flagship ‘Make in India’ programme and the state’s ‘Make in Kerala’ project.
The project is intended to create a defence park with all modern facilities exclusively for defence equipment manufacturers with assistance from the Centre’s Modified Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation (MIIU) scheme. The project’s total outlay, including the cost of land, is Rs 191 crore.
Kinfra managing director K A Santhosh Kumar during an interaction with the English Daily informed that the defence park is aimed at MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) as we have only 60 acres. He further informed that they have held talks with leading companies such as BEML, HAL, and BEL and they have agreed to tell their suppliers to establish their facilities in the park. “We are confident several small and micro units will set up their units in the defence park”, added Kumar.
The focus area of the park includes components of rotary and fixed-wing aircraft; defence navigation products; components of tactical vehicles, submarine building; components of warship/naval; defence IT systems and solutions; avionics; tactical communication system; space robotics maintenance, micro-satellite etc.
Kumar said a discussion has also been held with a Nellore-based association of South Indian electronics manufacturing unit for encouraging its members to set up their facilities at the park.
Currently, all the parts are assembled at Bengaluru after transporting it via trailers.
Kinfra general manager (projects) T Unnikrishnan said the marketing blitz to woo companies to the defence park will begin soon after the civil works are over.
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