Raipur, March 2 (IANS) Chhattisgarh will invest Rs.5 billion to set up four industrial areas on a total of 6,814 hectares to meet increasing demand of land for industry in the mineral-rich state, official sources said. The industrial areas will come up in Raipur, Bilaspur, Raigarh and Rajnandgaon districts and will mainly house sponge iron and mini steel plants, ferro alloys units, power plants and captive power plants.

Officials in Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corp (CSIDC) say the government has already identified a 2,074-hectare stretch at Jora Tarai locality in Rajnandgaon district, a 791-hectare piece at Dagori in Bilaspur, 2,483 hectare at Tilda in Raipur and 1,466 hectares at Lara in Raigarh.

“The total project cost for setting up four industrial areas will be about Rs.500 crore,” the official said, adding “government has begun moves for drafting a rehabilitation package for the people residing in the proposed areas in four districts.”

The government has already made an initial approval of Rs.1.5 billion for Rajnandgaon, Rs.910 million for Raigarh, Rs.1.17 billion for Raipur and Rs.590 million for Bilaspur.

CSIDC has already built industrial estates at Siltara and Urla areas in Raipur, Sirgitti in Bilaspur and Borai in Durg.