Shimla, September 25:

A unique sugar plant worth Rs 6 billion IC is coming up in Himachal Pradesh’s foothills which besides sugar will churn out liquor, organic fertiliser and even electricity. The Haryana-based Maplex India Ltd plans to start work by the end of the year on this plant at Gagret in Una district, some 250-km from here. Production is expected to start by January 2007, said a top company official. “We are currently in the last phase of acquiring land for setting up the mill. The construction will start by December,” said Surinder Singh, managing director of Maplex India Ltd.