| It plans to forward a proposal to the Union commerce ministry seeking permission for setting up power generation plants as special economic zone (SEZ) units. |
| Talking to newsmen here, MIDC's chief executive officer Satish Gavai said that the SEZ units are planned for Chandrapur and Usar near Raigad. A consultancy firm, Fortress, is preparing the project report for the SEZs. The project report will be sent to the Union ministry of commerce for approval, he said. |
| "This is a completely new concept and from all aspects, it appears feasible," he pointed out. The Chandrapur SEZ will have a coal-fired plant while the Usar SEZ will be a gas-fired plant, he said. |
| All plant equipment, raw materials and production will be exempt from customs, excise and other duties and hence the cost of production will be lower. The SEZ plants will be able to sell power to SEZs and export-oriented units, he said. |
| Regarding Reliance Energy's power plants at Butibori and Thane, being set up exclusively for MIDC areas, Gavai said the MIDC board is having its meeting on Friday to grant its final go ahead to the Reliance projects. An MoU with the company will be signed after the green signal, he said. |
| Reliance was picked up to execute the projects after a bidding process was held by MIDC. However, Gavai said, MIDC will have no stake in the projects and their operation. |
| MIDC has only been the facilitator in identifying the vendor to supply power to MIDC areas at competitive rates. Reliance has been extended no concessions in setting up the plants, he said. |
| Four more power plants, at Tarapur, Ranjangaon, Hinjewadi and Amber are now being set up. MIDC will have a stake in these plants, he said. The corporation has received tenders from private power companies and the same were now being scrutinised, he said. |
| Speaking about the issues raised by local industry associations in the conference, Gavai said that the MIDC will be favourably considering some of these issues. |
| The associations had demanded more usable area for small industrial plots as against the current stipulation of 50 per cent ceiling. Gavai said the MIDC will look into the demand and also see if an amendment in development control rules was possible. |
| On the oft-made complaints of industry that there was delay from MIDC head office regarding plot allotment, amalgamation, bifurcation and other matters, he said all the cases will henceforth be disposed of in a time-bound manner. A time-frame and check memo for different types of works will be prepared, he said. |
| The corporation will also be studying whether to allow auto repairing and servicing activities in MIDC areas, he said. The MIDC, it may be recalled, had sent notices to auto firms having their workshops in Hingna MIDC, asking them to pay the land rent as per commercial rates. They are now paying as per industrial rate. Gavai said the MIDC will see if auto repairing is an industrial activity and if it is, industrial rates will be charged from the auto firms. |
| Regarding bad roads in Hingna MIDC, Gavai said the roads will be repaired at a cost of Rs 5 crore. Tenders will be issued soon and the work will be completed before end of the current fiscal, he said. For major industrial estates all over Maharashtra, the MIDC has now decided to have cement concrete main roads and asphalt internal roads, he said. |
| In order to provide water to scarcity-hit industrial areas in Khamgaon and Akola, the MIDC has approved 10 borewells, the work for which will start in a month, he said. |
| The MIDC will also be writing to the Railways for setting up a railway siding at MIDC, Akola and linking it with Akola junction, he said. |
| The MIDC has decided to give loans to the power distribution company for converting rural feeders into express feeders for industrial units and where the cost involved is less than Rs 5 lakh. Earlier, the loans were given only to projects above Rs 5 lakh, he said. |
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