MIDC to simplify land use rules in industrial estates

GROWTH PLAN: Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation has aggressive plans to promote small businesses, says Rajiv Jalota, CEO.

What special efforts you are making to promote the SME sector in the state?

The MIDC is coming up with a bio-technology park at Shendra near Aurangabad, a food park at Latur, a textile park at Kagal near Kolhapur, and since a majority of the units from these sectors fall in the SME category, they will be able to find suitable plots in these parks.

MIDC will provide infrastructure such as roads, power and water supply, sewage and effluent treatment plant.

Besides, these sectors will be able to enjoy the tax benefits offered by the state government for setting up industry in the backward regions of state.

Besides, in other industrial parks too plots up to 5 acres will be reserved for SMEs and we will offer them at cheaper rates to these units.

To promote cottage and tiny industry, MIDC is planning to set up a Khadi and Village industry park at every district headquarters.

One of the major problems faced by SMEs is that if they want to expand, they can't do it because of rigid MIDC rules despite having land. What are you doing about this?

That's why we are contemplating changing the development control rules (DC) rules in MIDC areas, which will allow flexibility to SME units in land use if they want to expand their operations or increase office space on the site and utilise the space properly.

We are also simplifying the rules of transfer for industrial plots from one industry to another, which will allow SMEs to carry out their expansion plans smoothly.

One of the main reason why SMEs don't get suitable plots in industrial parks is because many of the plots are occupied by units that have close down.

We have tried to solve this problem in the new industrial policy by offering a one-time settlement and settlement in easy installments as far as dues of various state agencies are concern like MIDC, state electricity board.

This will allow the promoters to sell off their plots and another entrepreneur to move in and utilised the space.

Another major problem in Maharashtra has been the uncertain power supply with the increasing demand and supply gap there seems to be no end to this issue.

Taking advantage of two major gas pipelines traversing the state, GSPC And RIL pipelines from the Krishna Godavari Basin, MIDC has already formed a separate company for gas distribution in industrial areas and done considerable spade work in this direction.

We are in talks with Reliance Industries and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited (GSPL) to sell the gas to customers in our industrialparks. This will solve the problem of fuel for industry to some extent.

We are also promoting the idea of group captive power plants and work on two such plants has already started at Thane-Belapur and Butibori near Nagpur and we are in process of working out similar arrangements for a few more parks.

We are in the process of replacing and upgrading the existing power distribution network in the industrial parks in association with Mahadiscom and connecting it to industrial feeders to ensure a round-the-clock-power supply.