Calcutta, Sept. 14: A 3,000-acre special economic zone (SEZ) for pharmaceuticals will come up in Haldia with Ramkey Pharma City (India), a Hyderabad firm, as anchor investor, commerce and industry minister Nirupam Sen said here today.

Speaking at the 38th annual general meeting of Eastern India Ball Bearing Merchants’ Association, the minister said work on the project will start once land acquisition by Ramkey is complete.

In all, over 25,500 acres will be developed as a special economic zone in Haldia, the minister said. “There will be a 10,000-acre SEZ for chemicals and a multi-product SEZ of 12,500 acres, besides the one for pharma,” he added.

Elsewhere in the state, a multi-product SEZ — a designated area where facilities are provided to industries making a variety of products — will come up over 2,500 acres in Siliguri.

“The government has also decided to encourage setting up of smaller SEZs, of 100 acres each, in backward areas of the state. These can be developed for a single product,” the minister said, adding one such proposal has been received for Siliguri. However, the minister declined to divulge the name of the investor.

Asian Tea & Exports, a Calcutta-based company, is planning a special zone for tea, and an IT park, in the north Bengal town. The company’s chairman, Hariram Garg, had said a couple of days ago that he would approach the government with the proposals.

Sen said zones meant exclusively for small and medium enterprises also are planned. The minister said Rs 2,230 crore was invested in industrial projects last year. “This year, 65 projects, with an investment of Rs 8,927 crore, are in different stages of implementation,” he added. This excludes plans in power, road and other infrastructure sectors.