Pawar Urges Govt to Retain Companies in Chakan Amid Exodus

Pune, Aug 13 (PTI) NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday expressed concern over 20 companies in the Chakan industrial belt planning to shift their operations due to severe traffic congestion and inadequate infrastructure, and urged the Maharashtra government to take urgent steps to retain industries and protect jobs.

In a post on X, Pawar said the decision by 20 companies employing more than 2,000 workers to relocate was a "serious matter". He said problems related to traffic, pollution, water supply, electricity and roads were forcing industries to consider moving out of Chakan MIDC.

"Industries should not be forced to relocate, employment opportunities should be protected and the industrial strength of the state should be maintained," Pawar said.

He called for infrastructure development on a war footing in Chakan, Talegaon and other industrial estates across Maharashtra, besides immediate measures to address potholes, poor roads and traffic congestion.

Pawar also sought better coordination among the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), Public Works Department (PWD) and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to implement integrated solutions.

He suggested that the government hold a high-level meeting with industrialists and establish a special single-window mechanism to ensure timely resolution of their problems.




Pawar, a former chief minister, also referred to the information provided in Parliament by Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra in response to a question raised by MP Rajabhau Waje.

According to Pawar, the government informed Parliament that 36,211 private companies in Maharashtra had closed down over the past five years. He questioned whether adequate information was available on the number of jobs lost following these closures, and whether affected employees had received adequate compensation.

"It is shocking," Pawar said, adding that Maharashtra had traditionally been an industry-friendly state and industrial migration or closure due to inadequate infrastructure was not something the state could take pride in.

Governments, irrespective of their political ideology, should preserve the legacy of "industrially progressive Maharashtra" associated with the vision of the state's first chief minister, the late Yashwantrao Chavan, he said.

The Chakan industrial belt is one of Maharashtra's major manufacturing hubs, with large automobile and engineering companies operating in the region.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant assured industry representatives on Thursday that he would visit Chakan shortly to discuss the issues faced by them.