Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Industrialists of the footwear sector have demanded that an office of the National Footwear Design Institute should be opened in the proposed Footwear Cluster.
Association of Industries, Madhya Pradesh, vice-president Yogesh Mehta and cluster committee member Girish Punjabi said a meeting had been held with MP Shankar Lalwani and MPIDC executive director Rohan Saxena, where the footwear industrialists’ demand was put forward. The meeting also discussed the grant received by industrialists under the Centre’s Cluster Development Programme.
Mehta and Punjabi said that, apart from this, plots for the accommodation of workers and a common kitchen of all the industries should also be set up in that industrial area. A crèche should be set up for women workers and a convention centre for traders coming from across the country and abroad, where industrialists could hold an exhibition of their products. A common tool room for making shoe dyes should be established. Apart from this, space should be reserved for raw material storage, transport warehouses, fire-fighting arrangements, banks, shops catering to daily needs, tools and hardware shops. Land should be reserved for expansion.
Lalwani said that, at a meeting with the director of the Footwear Design Institute of India, efforts would be made to establish a branch of the institute in the cluster. All the industrialists would visit Betma with Lalwani next week to inspect the land.
Saxena gave in-principle consent to the demands. He said that the size of the plots would be decided according to the wishes of the industrialists. World-class facilities will be provided there—such as approach road, water, electricity, security wall and so forth. Companies from outside the city are also interested in this project and discussions are also going on with such big brands as Adidas, Puma, Nike, Bata, Cobbler and so forth.
In the first phase of construction of the cluster, investment of more than Rs 200 crore will be made and more than 4,000 people will get employment.
