Mumbai: A delay in land allotment by the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has stalled a Rs100 crore centre in Rae Bareli planned as part of the National Automotive Testing R&D Infrastructure Project, or Natrip, said a senior official associated with the project.

When the project was conceived in 2005, we had asked for 400 acres of land from the then Mulayam Singh (Yadav) government. But due to political reasons, the proposal was deferred, said N.K. Trivedi, officer on special duty with Natrip.

With the new government under Mayawati, which came to power in May 2007, we had expected a positive outcome, but it got worse and despite submitting several proposals, the matter has not gone through, he said.

A senior official at the ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises admitted to the delay.

We are asking the UP government to give us land. They are considering various options but nothing has happened so far, he said on condition of anonymity, but declined to give a reason for the delay. I cant speak for the state government. Wherever, there is a land acquisition process, there are problems.

The Rae Bareli unit, which was to employ 500 people, was one of seven planned by the ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises as part of a Rs1,718 crore project aimed at creating an advanced testing, validation and R&D infrastructure for the domestic, as well as global, automotive industry.

Once operational, the Rae Bareli unit would become the nodal centre for homologation, or road-worthiness certification, for tractors, three-wheelers, construction equipment vehicles; would house a road accident data analysis facility; and have a training facility for at least 1,000 drivers of specialized, off-the-road vehicles. It will also be associated with the National Safety Board, proposed by the ministry of road transport and highways in November 2007, with the objective of undertaking systematic analysis of road fatalities and other crucial aspects related to accidents. About 80,000 people die in road accidents every year in India.