The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) will open a regional office in Chakan’s industrial area after small entrepreneurs warned that poor infrastructure and severe traffic congestion were making it difficult to operate from the region, the state government said on September 6.
The new office will allow industries to address administrative, engineering and infrastructure-related issues locally instead of travelling to MIDC’s existing regional office in Pimpri-Chinchwad. The office is expected to be inaugurated this month by Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant.
Chakan’s industrial area covers about 7,250 acres and has expanded across five phases. Its administration is currently handled by MIDC’s regional office in Pimpri-Chinchwad, around 20 kilometres away. Entrepreneurs seeking approvals, repairs, utility connections or action on complaints must travel to that office.
According to the report, traffic congestion means that a visit to the Pimpri-Chinchwad office can consume an entire working day for business owners and representatives. The issue became more serious after 20 small entrepreneurs warned that they could relocate from Chakan because of deteriorating infrastructure and transport delays.
MIDC had earlier planned to establish a sub-engineer’s office at Bhamboli in Phase II of the industrial area. The building has been completed, and the corporation has now decided to use the facility for a regional office instead.
The Chakan office will have an executive engineer, deputy engineer, junior engineers and assistant engineers, along with around 30 staff members. MIDC superintendent engineer Nilesh Modhave said the office would be inaugurated shortly.
The regional office will handle approvals for setting up factories and construction plans, road construction and maintenance, sewage-line maintenance and repairs, new water-supply connections, water-line maintenance, water-bill assessment, encroachment removal and action on complaints from industries.
The state’s decision is intended to reduce the time entrepreneurs spend travelling to Pimpri-Chinchwad and enable local resolution of infrastructure and administrative problems. It is also expected to assist MIDC in progressing with new infrastructure works planned in Chakan, according to information cited in the report.
The move comes as industrial units in the area continue to face difficulties linked to infrastructure conditions and road congestion. The source report does not specify a detailed timeline for the completion of the planned infrastructure works or identify the individual projects that will be prioritised.
Chakan is also set to have a local office of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. Industries in Pune district currently travel to Pune for board-related work. A sub-regional office has already been opened in Baramati, followed by one in Chakan, with the stated aim of providing services closer to industrial areas. The MIDC regional office’s inauguration this month is the next announced milestone.
