Visakhapatnam: Even though the foundation stone for an MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) technology centre at Pudi village near Atchuthapuram mandal in the district was laid nearly six months ago in the third week of July, construction work on the centre is yet to take off on the ground.

The technology centre was planned to be constructed under the technology centre systems programme (TCSP) being implemented by the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises at a cost of Rs 140 crore. The foundation stone was laid by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Pudi Village along with Union Minister for MSMEs Kalraj Mishra.

According to MSME sources, the detailed project report was completed earlier, but tenders for allotting the construction work were being finalised by the union ministry for MSME. Requesting anonymity, an MSME department official said, “The tender process has already been initiated and the ministry is finalising the proposal. We are expecting the construction work to begin in another month or so.”

Another official said the project has been awarded, but the developer is obtaining relevant licenses required for beginning work at the construction site.

However, as per the draft detailed project report published in May 2016, phase one of the project was expected to be completed in the 2016-17 fiscal and phase two was expected to be completed by 2017-18. “In the initial phase, construction of infrastructure for basic training courses is planned along with procurement of basic machines,” the report said.

According to the report, the technology centre planned in the district was aimed at playing an important role in enhancing the competitiveness of the MSME units in the area. “The proposed technology centre in Visakhapatnam will be focussed on general engineering with facilities such as production, training and consultancy services,” the report said, adding that the centre is proposed to be a major technical centre for testing and calibration services offered to SMEs and OEM subsequently.

In addition to this, the proposed technology centre will also have a dedicated professional wing to assist MSMEs by providing consultancy services in the field of design support, engineering solutions, project consultancy, low cost automation solution support and productivity improvement.

Source: Times of India