BANGALORE, January 30: The $3.2 bn Engelhard Corporation has announced the setting up of an R&D centre in India. According to Engelhard Highland Pvt Ltd general manager Ramdas Iyer, the US firm will be investing about Rs 7 crore for the purpose. The proposed facility at Kadandale near Mangalore will develop different pigments for the world market. This will come up at the company's existing pigment manufacturing plant, which is likely to be operational within the next six months.
Addressing newsmen here on Thursday, Iyer said Engelhard Corporation is deeply concerned at the harassment being meted out to the company's employees at the site of the pigment production facility.
The delayed implementation of the Rs 30 crore project will result in a huge forex loss per month. Unauthorised disruptions at the site has already delayed project implementation by more than six months, he said.
Engelhard Highland Pvt Ltd, a 51:49 joint venture between Engelhard Corporation and Highland Enterprises, a localcompany, has been the target of the ire of a section of the local community despite the project being granted the required clearances from concerned authorities.
The company, an export oriented unit, is expected to produce organic pigments for applications involved in the making of printing inks, pharmaceuticals, speciality plastics and automobiles. The plant will have a manufacturing capacity of 450 tonne a year.
Iyer said the company will seek the assistance from the state government to complete the project. In any circumstance, the company will not pull out of the project, he said.
Early last year, a committee formed by the local people had alleged that the proposed facility at Kadandale will harm environmental conditions and pollute the Shambavi river in Dakshina Kannada.According to the company, there will be no discharge of waste water as Engelhard is installing an elaborate primary and secondary waste water treatment facility in which almost 80 per cent of the input water will be recycled back tothe process.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
