Nagpur: Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) will acquire an additional 5,500 acres of land in Nagpur district to meet requirements of industrial projects for which MoUs have been signed, MIDC CEO Dipendra Singh Kushwah said during his visit to Vidarbha earlier this week.With the existing industrial areas at Hingna and Butibori nearly fully occupied, MIDC is now focusing on developing industrial zones at Narkhed, Katol, Saoner and Kuhi to accommodate upcoming projects. Kushwah said the corporation was also focusing on accelerating industrial development in Nagpur, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur.Confirming the scale of the proposed acquisition, Confederation of Small Industries Association (COSIA) president Julfesh Shah told TOI the process would be taken up on a priority basis. “Additional Butibori is already sold out, and there are many big players still awaiting land, including JSW and Mahindra & Mahindra. The CMO has given strict instructions to MIDC to execute this in six to eight months,” he said.Shah said he had discussed demarcation of land with Kushwah. He added 20% of the land in every MIDC industrial zone is being reserved for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). MIDC is also developing ‘plug-and-play’ facilities to encourage small entrepreneurs to establish units.Kushwah also provided an update on the Mahindra & Mahindra project at Additional Butibori, which is coming up on a 1,500-acre site. The company was initially allotted 500 acres, followed by another 300 acres that was earlier held by JSW. The remaining 700 acres is expected to be handed over to Mahindra soon. As the transfer was necessitated after the JSW project failed to take off, Kushwah said JSW would be provided an alternative 300-acre plot.He added approval processes for many industrial plots allotted had been completed, with construction work already beginning on several projects. During his meetings with industrial associations, Kushwah also assured stakeholders that technical issues affecting the Maitri and Milap portals would be resolved soon.He further assured the Butibori Manufacturers Association that the water-supply issue affecting the Butibori residential area would be addressed on priority. MIDC will also review plot allotments in the residential zone and examine whether plots can be allotted to industries with ownership rights, if feasible.
