SEEPZ

Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone is a Special Economic Zone in Mumbai, India. Situated in the Andheri East area, it is subjected to liberal economic laws as compared to the rest of India to promote rapid economic growth using tax and business incentives and attract foreign investment and technology. Seepz was created in 1973 and was seen as export processing zone. Since then many other SEZ’s have been created in rest of India. SEEPZ mainly houses Electronic Hardware Manufacturing Companies, Software Companies and jewellery exporters of India. More than 40 percent of India’s total jewelry exports out of $5,210.69 million during year 2006-2007 came from units within SEEPZ. Despite its name, it is not located near the suburb of Santacruz, rather it is located closer to Andheri that lies further north.ProfileMore than 400 units operate in SEEPZ. These include Portescap India Pvt. Ltd. (highest exporter in SEEPZ - 2014-15), CGI Group Inc., Tata Consultancy Services, Syntel, Zycus, ACE Software, Tara Jewels Limited, Anlage Infotech Private Limited.Buildings in the zone are called Standard Design Factories (SDF). Some of the factories are world class from inside.The SEZ is a high security entry zone. Employees of various companies need to have permanent SEEPZ gate pass to gain entry. Visitors need special permits to enter. Due to these hassles government proposed making SEEPZ a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in 1999. However, gate pass and visitor pass rules continue till date. Making SEEPZ a FTZ meant that it would be treated as outside the customs zone of India. This meant no excise or customs duty will be levied on raw material but companies would also not be able to sell their products in domestic market.