Calcutta, June 25: Bengal is expected to get preliminary approval by the end of this month from the Centre for an electronics manufacturing cluster at Naihati.

The state is in search of an anchor investor for the project.

Bengal has already identified six other locations — Haldia, Kharagpur, Calcutta, Durgapur, Siliguri and Howrah — for such clusters and work is in progress in these zones.

“We are on the verge of getting the preliminary approval from the Centre for Naihati (project). It should come across by the end of this month. In two years, companies can start putting up their bases,” a government official said.

“The electronic manufacturing cluster here will be on 70 acres. The objective is to promote electronic manufacturing in the domestic market. According to a study, Indian electronic imports will exceed oil imports by 2020,” the official said.

Following the consent, the next phase of the project will be to get further clearances and initiate land filling to set up infrastructure.

Anchor investors in electronic system design and manufacturing or solar panel manufacturing are likely to be tapped.

According to reports, demand for electronic hardware products will grow from $45 billion in 2009 to $400 billion in 2020. However, production is projected to reach only $104 billion by that year, creating a supply shortage of about $296 billion.

A similar facility is also being set up in Falta on 56 acres.