Ahmedabad: Industries in GIDC estates, already under stress amid the West Asia conflict, have renewed demands for early resolution of long-pending regulatory issues, saying the most serious concern is the failure to hold regular divisional manager/superintendent engineer (DM/SE) committee meetings meant for time-bound grievance redressal.In a letter to the state govt, Sanand Industries Association president Ajit Shah said, “Sanand has emerged as one of Gujarat’s fastest-growing industrial hubs and makes a significant contribution to employment and investment, but unresolved issues are affecting operations and future expansion. Despite repeated representations before the state govt and GIDC officials, no effective resolution has been reached on key matters.” According to a GIDC circular dated July 7, 2015, DM/SE committee meetings are to be held every month to ensure the timely disposal of industrial issues.However, industry representatives said only four to five meetings have been held in Sanand over the past three years, calling it grossly inadequate for an industrial estate of this scale. “The DM/SE meetings are the backbone of grievance redressal for industries. When these meetings are not held regularly, every issue remains pending for months and sometimes years,” Shah said. Federation of Industries Association secretary H M Patel said the double taxation dispute has remained unresolved for more than five years, creating financial burden and uncertainty across several estates. He said GIDC estates should be given relief from double taxation because industries pay charges to GIDC as well as property tax to local bodies. Patel also flagged stamp duty demands, saying, “Old dues are being raised because of procedural lapses and administrative errors, often with penalties ranging from 10% to 300%. We have taken up the issues with the state govt and sought a fair settlement mechanism and a fixed window to clear old dues without interest.”
