Maharashtra to quadruple Chakan space

Pune: In a capacity expansion propelled by a wait-list of prospective clients, the State government is set to quadruple the land available in the Chakan-Talegaon industrial belt near Pune, anointed the country’s fastest growing auto and engineering hub. The region is poised to add 3,500 hectares of developed industrial land to the existing 1,290 hectares in a phased manner, with the first phase of the expansion plan due to be kick-started soon.

Of the total area, a 1,600-hectare stretch, dubbed Chakan phase II, is in the final stages of acquisition and expected to come into the possession of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) as early as the first week of March, sources close to the development said. Another stretch of 777 hectares, part of what is being called Chakan Phase V, is also expected to come into the fold by April.

The MIDC has already developed three phases in the Chakan belt, accounting for around 1,290 hectares and the corporate clients who have bought space here include auto majors Bajaj Auto, Volkswagen, M&M and Mercedes Benz.

Similarly, the adjoining Talegaon industrial belt, where companies like INA Bearings, JCB and Posco have facilities, and General Motors is in the process of setting up its plant, is also undergoing expansion. The process to add 1,200-odd hectares to the existing 250-hectare area has just been initiated.

Resistance from farmers

Though, the long list of aspirants has galvanised the State government into action to develop industrial land in the region, the reality is that growing resistance from local farmers to part with their lands is making the process more and more difficult. An official maintains that this will probably be the last expansion in this area, and all further industrial development will take place in the Nashik region north of Pune. Meanwhile, with the formal notification for the new airport at Chakan being issued in October last, the process of identifying land for the proposed Greenfield project is underway, he added.