In a major initiative to support small scale industries, Delhi Government has decided to augment facilities at four industrial estates in the city at an estimated cost of Rs 440 crore.

The government’s premier infrastructure development agency DSIIDC, entrusted to look after maintenance of all industrial estates in the city, has already issued global RFP (request for proposal) for the project.

“The RFP has been issued to improve infrastructure at Okhla, Patparganj, Bawana and Narela industrial estates,” said a top official of DSIIDC (Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation).

Delhi has a total of 29 industrial estates, comprising mainly small scale industries.

The proposed project envisages development of physical infrastructure like roads, water drainage system, street lighting, sewerage treatment plant, solid waste management system and parking.

The official said gradually similar projects will be taken up to improve condition at remaining 25 industrial estates which were handed over to the DSIIDC through a legislation last year.

The selected private partner would be responsible for designing, financing, developing, upgrading, managing, operating and maintaining all infrastructure assets, utilities and facilities in the industrial estates in an integrated manner.

The city has over 1,30,000 small scale industries and most of them are located in industrial estates or in industrial areas notified by the government.

Delhi has witnessed an impressive economic growth during the last couple of years mainly driven primarily by the performance of the secondary and tertiary sectors.

The Narela Industrial Complex, is spread over an area of 496 acres of land, in north Delhi while Bawana Industrial area in north-west Delhi is spread over an area of 1922.10 acres.

The Okhla industrial estate is spread over an area of 109.46 acres in south Delhi and is one of the oldest industrial areas in the city. The Patparganj Industrial Estate in east Delhi covers a total area of 130 acres out of which 50.37 per cent is under industrial use.

The Delhi Assembly last year had passed a legislation paving the way for handing over of maintenance of the 29 industrial estates and four-flated factory units to DSIIDC. Some of the industrial estates were earlier maintained by MCD and DDA.

The Government had decided to hand over the responsibility of maintaining the estates to the DSIIDC, an agency which has already earned a niche for building quality infrastructure in the city, to overcome the problem of multiplicity of authorities.