On Fast track

Hyderabad, March 10: French carmaker Renault is eyeing a presence in Andhra Pradesh.

Allan E. Durante, executive director and president of the automobile sector of Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M), which has a partnership with Renault, called on chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy today.

The Mahindras already have a presence at Zaheerabad, about 100 km from Hyderabad, where they manufacture light commercial vehicles (LCV).

Durante has proposed to put up a Rs 700-crore plant in Andhra Pradesh to manufacture 50,000 cars a year.

?We are also pursuing options in Maharashtra and Uttaranchal, where the Mahindras are already present. We will decide soon depending on the government?s reaction,? he said.

State industry minister Botsa Satyanarayana said, ?We are ready to provide all support within the ambit of resources and legal provisions.?

The concessions sought by the Mahindras included sales tax deferment, rebates in excise duties, extension of rail link up to the factory in Zaheerabad and easy and cheap power, water and other urban utilities.

?We will pursue the excise and rail-link issues with the Centre. We are agreeable to the other issues now,? said the industry minister.