| Construction that follows destruction is always creative and solid." So goes a Gujarati saying. In case of Kutch, the resurgence following the devastating earthquake of January 26, 2000 has indeed been remarkably extensive, bolstered by investments of Rs 11,000 crore in 150 new industrial ventures. There's more money expected in the coming months. Another Rs 8,000 crore, to be exact.  | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | BOUNCING BACK: Huge investments have created jobs and infrastructure | | For Kutchi Nensi Shah, chairman of the Mumbai-based Euro Group, the dramatic makeover is nothing short of a miracle. Once a small trader in Bhachau, Shah had moved to Mumbai in 1987. The second morning after the tremors rocked the region, he had flown over his hometown, one of the worst-hit areas, leading a fleet of six choppers carrying relief material. Overcome with grief and despair as he surveyed the ravaged terrain, he felt certain that the quintessentially decrepit, desolate town would never be able to tide over this mammoth tragedy that had claimed more than 15,000 lives. Today, Kutch's kaleidoscopically changing skyline never ceases to surprise him. Mushrooming across the once-barren land are giant factories, linked with gleaming, smooth stretches of concrete trafficways. The picture of development and growth makes it almost impossible to believe that a little over six years ago, the place had been all but destroyed by the killer quake. Needless to say, the booming industrial scenario has generated employment opportunities for locals, boosting income and providing a fillip to lifestyles. That real estate is growing proportionately is evident from a huge housing colony, City Square Township, coming up on the outskirts of Bhuj. Opulent bungalows dotting the 100-acre landscape are but one sign of the economic surge. Around 11,000 people have found jobs in new establishments, whose founders were incentivised to set up shop by the excise exemption policy of the Union government and the sales tax exemption policy of the Gujarat government that came into effect in 2001, augmenting the efforts of local Kutch leaders. Among the investors are leading corporates like Essar, Parle, LG, Adani Anchor and Euro Ceramics. Their areas are as diverse as edible oil processing, steel, ceramics, automobiles, consumer and electronic products, cement, fabric and coke-processing. | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | RAVAGED: After the quake | | The present picture of development makes it hard to believe that Kutch had been almost razed by the quake | | | A part from the tax incentives, the credit for the boom goes largely to the Narmada dam waters being channeled to the region. Of the 200 million litres made available to Kutch daily, nearly one-fourth goes to the industrial outfits. That figure is expected to shoot up once the height of the dam is raised. "The change is going to be more pronounced in the days to come," promises Paresh Shah, a director at Euro Ceramics which has set up a Rs 200-crore luxury tile manufacturing enterprise. "The Kutch era has just begun." Nensi Shah agrees. "After the industrial revolution in Kutch, I expect a green revolution in the next five years," he enthuses. Welcome to this epicentre of enterprise. Index
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