Out of 16,000 plots allotted in various industrial estates by the regional offices of MIDC in Nagpur and Amravati, units have come up in only 7,000. The allotment has happened over a period of time, said chief executive officer (CEO) of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Vipin Sharma.
Even as specific time frame cannot be given for the non-starters, it can be due to various reasons. Covid can be one of it, said the officer. Sharma was in the city to address a meeting organized by Vidarbha Industries Association (VIA).
Sharma said the pandemic was unforeseen and the government is working out measures to assist the entrepreneurs whose projects may have been delayed due to Covid. However, the CEO also clarified that he did not have the specific details about since when the plots have remained unutilized. There are various stages of starting a unit after allotment of land, he said.
MIDC’s Nagpur and Amravati regions cover districts in eastern and western Vidarbha, respectively.
As Sharma spoke of more than half of the plots in the two regions not having industrial activity, he also said that MIDC would be acquiring more lands. He mentioned further expansion of additional Butibori estate too. He said corporation would have to acquire newer areas to accommodate the demand. There may be industrial pockets where more area would be needed. According to projections, MIDC may have to acquire land worth Rs30,000 crore in coming five years, he said while speaking to industrialists in VIA.
“We have to maintain a tightrope balance while adding areas — the places where there is demand for land and also those pockets where the land has been underutilized,” he said. In Vidarbha, areas like Chandrapur have potential for steel units due to availability of coal.
The state’s industries minister Uday Samant was also scheduled to attend the meeting, but his visit was cancelled at the last moment. He would be visiting VIA during the winter session of the state legislature at Nagpur, said Sharma.
Pradeep Maheshwari, a strategist of Vidarbha Economic Development Council, had planned to brief the minister about benefits of having a petroleum refinery near Nagpur.
Earlier during the meet, citing losses in the wake of Covid pandemic, VIA members demanded amnesty scheme. It has been demanded that charges of three years from April 2020 should be waived as industries have suffered major losses due to the pandemic. The charges include those payable towards water, underutilization apart from interest and other penalties.
The VIA memorandum presented to the CEO said at times industrialists are not able to start operations due to genuine reasons and want to surrender the plot. In such cases, the MIDC deducts extension and other charges which is a major amount. The deduction charges should be abolished and a full refund should be issued, it added.