A new Chakan MIDC regional office will be opened in the industrial area this month after manufacturers warned that poor infrastructure and persistent traffic congestion were making it difficult to operate from the region, according to a report by Loksatta-Pune.
The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has decided to start the office at Bhamboli in Phase II of the Chakan industrial area. The facility was originally planned as a sub-engineer’s office and has already been constructed. Its inauguration is expected to take place this month at the hands of Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant.
The Chakan industrial area covers approximately 7,250 acres and has developed across five phases. Its administration is currently handled by MIDC’s regional office in Pimpri-Chinchwad, requiring local entrepreneurs to travel roughly 20 kilometres for administrative work and infrastructure-related issues.
Manufacturers have said that the journey can consume an entire working day because of traffic congestion between Chakan and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The concerns intensified over the condition of roads and other infrastructure in the industrial area. Twenty small-scale manufacturers had warned that they could relocate if the problems continued.
The new regional office is expected to include an executive engineer, deputy engineer, junior engineers and assistant engineers, along with around 30 employees. MIDC superintendent engineer Nilesh Modhवे said the office would be opened shortly and would allow entrepreneurs to resolve several matters locally instead of travelling to Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The office will handle approvals for establishing factories, approvals for factory construction plans, construction of new roads, road maintenance and repairs, and the maintenance of sewage lines. Its responsibilities will also include new water-supply connections, maintenance of water pipelines, water-bill assessment, action against encroachments and responses to industrial complaints.
The decision is also expected to support the implementation of new infrastructure works being undertaken by MIDC in Chakan. According to information cited in the report, localising the regional administration could help address entrepreneurs’ complaints and speed up coordination on infrastructure projects within the industrial estate.
Chakan’s industrial activity has also led to the establishment of a local office of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. Industrial units in the district previously had to travel to Pune for pollution-control-related work. A sub-regional office was first opened in Baramati and has since been established in Chakan to provide services closer to industrial clusters.
The MIDC regional office’s formal opening and the start of its operations are the next milestones for manufacturers seeking faster access to administrative and infrastructure services within the Chakan industrial area.
