PRAYAGRAJ, Feb. 28 -- Land earlier earmarked for an oil refinery in Lohgara village of Bara in the trans-Yamuna region of Prayagraj district will now be used to set up small-scale industries. The decision comes after nearly 25 years during which no industrial unit has been established on the site. Officials of the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) said 231 acres of refinery-designated land in Bara will be repurposed for small industrial units. With this move, the long-pending proposal to set up an oil refinery in the area is now considered virtually defunct. The 231 acres in Bara have been brought under the Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) framework along with 121 acres from Saraswati Hi-Tech City in Naini. In total, 352 acres have been identified for industrial development under the IMC plan. At Bara, plots of 25 and 50 acres will be demarcated for small-scale industries. Basic infrastructure and essential facilities will be developed at the site. UPSIDA officials are holding regular meetings to finalise development plans for both Bara and Naini. Santosh Kumar, general manager of UPSIDA, said a fresh industrial blueprint is being prepared for the 352-acre land parcel. He said the focus will be on attracting small industries, though large enterprises willing to invest will also be considered. The central government has included Prayagraj and Agra under the IMC initiative. Following Prayagraj's inclusion, the 352 acres in Bara and Naini have officially been designated as part of the scheme. Both sites will now see uniform industrial development under the IMC framework. Around a year and a half ago, Allahabad Lok Sabha MP Ujjwal Raman Singh raised the issue in Parliament, seeking the establishment of an oil refinery on the acquired land. The speaker referred the matter to the concerned ministry. The MP later met then union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri to pursue the proposal. However, with UPSIDA's latest decision to promote small-scale industries on the site, marking a new phase of industrial development for the regionhtc...