Pune: ‘Why Are Companies Leaving?’ Rohit Pawar Targets Maha Govt Over Chakan’s Industrial Woes; Says No New Firms Have Arrived Since 2014

Pune: Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) MLA Rohit Pawar has targeted the Maharashtra government over the alleged exodus of industries from Chakan. He claimed that poor infrastructure, traffic congestion and lack of coordination among government agencies are affecting investment and local employment.

Pawar visited the Chakan industrial area on Friday and inspected the roads and surrounding infrastructure. His visit came days after reports that around 20 companies were planning to leave the industrial belt over infrastructure-related problems and shift to Satara district.

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Speaking to the media during his visit, Pawar said companies were facing problems with roads, traffic, garbage and basic infrastructure in and around Chakan MIDC.

“The main road where we are standing is the approach road to Chakan MIDC. If this road has so much mud and so many potholes, truck movement is affected. During the morning, transport decreases, while at night it increases,” he said.

‘Why No Companies Post 2014?’

Pawar also claimed that temporary road repairs were carried out before his visit. “Some local people told us that since the media and we were coming here today, gravel was dumped last night to temporarily level the road,” he said.

He questioned why companies that had established themselves in Chakan before 2014 were continuing to face basic infrastructure problems. Pawar said Chakan MIDC was established in the early 1990s and attracted major companies such as Bajaj, Tata, Mahindra and Mercedes-Benz. He claimed these anchor companies later brought several ancillary units to the region, creating large-scale employment.

“Why hasn’t a single company come after 2014, and why are existing companies starting to leave?” he asked. Pawar also claimed that companies were choosing Gujarat and other states for new investments because of better infrastructure and facilities. He said one company that had already established a plant in Chakan decided to set up its second plant outside Maharashtra. “People told me they feel bad about moving to other states, but they have to go because the facilities are better there,” Pawar said.

Pawar Criticises Govt’s Handling Of Concerns…

He also criticised the state government’s handling of industrial concerns and claimed that government agencies were not taking the complaints of businesses seriously. Pawar said there were more than 22 issues affecting the Chakan industrial area. These included poor internal MIDC roads, problems on roads outside the MIDC area, traffic congestion and issues involving the National Highway and PMRDA.

He questioned why MIDC sought the names of the 20 companies that were reportedly planning to leave instead of first asking why they wanted to move. “When 20 companies decided to leave Chakan, they had to hold a press conference. Only then did MIDC call and ask for the names of those 20 companies. MIDC should have asked about the problems, not the names,” he said.

Pawar also criticised Industry Minister Uday Samant and other ministers over their alleged lack of engagement with industrialists. “The Industry Minister is busy playing political games. In a true sense, he has no time to understand what difficulties these business owners face,” he said. He challenged Samant to visit Chakan on a working day and see the traffic and infrastructure problems for himself.

‘Minister Comes When There’s No Traffic’

“The minister comes on Sunday when there is no traffic. You should come alone once, don’t tell anyone, and see for yourself what problems people have to endure,” Pawar said. Pawar also questioned the division of responsibilities between government agencies. He said MIDC should not restrict itself to its own jurisdiction and should also coordinate with agencies responsible for roads and infrastructure around industrial areas.

He said industrialists were paying substantial taxes and expected basic facilities in return. “Business owners here say, ‘We pay so much in taxes; at least give us a fraction of it back in the form of utilities and basic facilities here,’” he said. Pawar said he had spoken to representatives of different agencies during his visit and would meet ministers in the coming days to raise the issues.

He warned that failure to address the problems could have an impact on the state’s industrial growth. “It will take three years of our effort to change the situation in Chakan. After that, we ourselves will come to power and solve it,” he said.

‘Hold A Joint Press Conference’

Pawar also disputed the government’s explanation that companies leaving Maharashtra were merely companies that existed only on paper. He challenged the chief minister and other government leaders to hold a joint press conference on the issue and said he was ready to present evidence. He further claimed that industrial electricity costs and changes in the state’s solar power policy were making Maharashtra less attractive for businesses.

According to Pawar, some industrialists who had installed solar systems saw their return on investment delayed after changes to the policy. “Many companies are leaving Maharashtra. You go and talk to the companies. Electricity rates are lower for industry and commercial sectors in other states,” he said.

Pawar also criticised BJP leaders for what he described as a lack of understanding of industrial and economic issues. “BJP leaders do not understand what industry is, nor do they understand development. Some of them speak without thinking, merely repeating whatever their leaders tell them to say,” he alleged.

‘Industry Minister Is Not Interested In Solving Problems’

He also challenged Uday Samant to hold a joint press conference on the state’s industrial policies and problems faced by companies. Pawar alleged that the government was more focused on announcing new industrial phases, where land acquisition was involved, than resolving problems faced by existing industrial clusters. “The Industry Minister is only interested in new phases because land has to be acquired, not in solving existing problems,” he alleged.

Pawar said the government would have to bring several agencies together for detailed discussions instead of holding meetings only as a formality.

“You will have to hold six to seven-hour-long meetings. Merely showing up for a formality will not work,” he said. The allegations made by Pawar come amid growing concerns among industrialists over infrastructure and traffic problems in the Chakan-Talegaon industrial belt. The state government and concerned agencies are yet to respond in detail to Pawar’s allegations regarding companies leaving the region.