The BK Group, one of the leading business families of the North East, has finalised a plan to set up a greenfield cement project at Cachar in Assam, entailing an investment of about Rs 414 crore.

The proposed plant, with an annual capacity of 1.5Mt is likely to be the largest cement manufacturing unit in this part of the country. A new company - Calcom Cement India Ltd (Calcom) - has been incorporated by the group to undertake the project, which is all set to start commercial production by late 2007.

The Chairman of the Group, Binod Kumar Bawri, told Business Line that BK has been in cement manufacturing business in the North East since 1987. It set up its first small unit at Cachar in the same year. The second unit was set up at the same area in 1990. These two units are at present operating with a combined annual capacity of about 0.3Mta. The group’s Vinay Cement is considered the largest local cement brand, with a market-share of eight per cent in the region.