Jamshedpur, Aug. 24: The Adityapur Industrial Area Development Authority (AIADA) has earmarked an additional 5 acres to the existing 12 acres for the Rs 65 crore proposed auto cluster project that’s aimed at leveraging the entrepreneurial skills of the steel city’s manufacturing hub.

Senior officials of the Adityapur Auto Cluster Limited (AACL) said the additional land would be used to set up a state-of-the-art auditorium, business centre and testing facility at a cost of Rs 41 crore.

“The proposed auditorium will be able to accommodate 800 people. Once ready, it will also be rented out to interested parties. The proposed business centre will be used for holding seminars and conferences by various companies,” said the AACL director, S.N. Thakur.

Businessmen of Adityapur agree the auditorium and business centre would be a boon for the Seraikela-Kharsawan district, which lacks such facilities in spite of being the state’s largest industrial zone.

The 12 acre land provided earlier would be used to setup a hazardous waste management facility and common effluent treatment plant, now that testing facility is being set up in the 5 acre land.

“After visiting auto clusters at Pune and Nagpur, AACL officials decided to expand the cluster to a new location. Later, we approached the Adityapur authority to provide us an additional 5 acre of land,” added another official.

The AACL official said the additional land had been provided opposite to the ASIA Bhawan premises on Tata-Kandra Main Road, making the premises easily accessible via the proposed toll bridge, which would connect the industrial belt with Mango via Marine Drive.

Of the Rs 65 crore Adityapur auto cluster project, the Centre has pledged 75 per cent subsidy while the state has promised 10 per cent of the project costs. Stakeholders through equity participation will fund the rest.