Calcutta, Oct. 2: Electrosteel Casting Ltd is looking at the 6-7 acres of unutilised plot of Esab India on BT Road in North 24 Parganas for its own requirement.

The ductile iron (DI) pipe manufacturer has been searching for additional land adjacent to its Khardah works for backward integration of its manufacturing process. It has earmarked an investment of Rs 25-30 crore for this.

Electrosteel managing director Umang Kejriwal said the land was not being used by Esab India and it wanted to acquire the same. The company has also approached the Bengal government for the acquisition.

Bengal finance minister Asim Dasgupta, who inaugurated a DI pipe finishing line at the Electrosteel plant on Saturday, said the state government would facilitate such transfer of land. “The state has decided to make use of the idle land locked in various units to further economic activities,” Dasgupta said.

However, Electrosteel will have to seek a special permission from the government under the Urban Land Ceiling Act for the transfer of such a vast tract of land.

Electrosteel has set up the new DI pipe fitting finishing plant at a cost of Rs 50 crore. The plant will provide state-of-the-art complete corrosion protection to DI fittings from both inside and outside. The investment has been made to make its products more competitive in the export markets, especially in Europe, Gulf countries, Southeast Asia and Africa.

The Khardah plant has a production capacity of 250,000 tonnes at present.

Kejriwal said the company was also diversifying into turnkey projects and has already registered itself as a ‘special class contractor’ with almost all water supply authorities in the country.