Shinde pushes bureaucrats as Chakan MSMEs shelve move

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, in a weekend meeting with industrialists and officials, pressed bureaucrats to compress timelines for fixing Chakan MIDC's broken roads, water, power and waste management. The three-hour meeting, chaired by Industries Minister Uday Samant and joined by Shinde via video link, saw Shinde described as 'extremely aggressive' in pushing for faster action, according to those present.

The intervention has led roughly twenty MSME units employing 3,000 to 4,000 workers and accounting for an estimated Rs 1,000 crore in business to put on hold their plan to move to Khandala MIDC in Satara. Shantanu Kulkarni, president of the Chakan Industrial Association, said the government has committed to short-term fixes by end of June, medium-term work in 10 to 12 months, and long-term projects in three to four years.

A 14-department committee under Pune Collector Jitendra Dudi has been set up to oversee implementation. Kulkarni said he will give a straight answer on whether the move stays shelved in 10 to 12 months, adding that commitments made were not just to industry but also to common people and farmers.