Pune: Representatives of MSMEs, domestic and overseas companies, in a news conference on Wednesday, said the lack of basic infrastructure (road, water and power), which is a must for businesses to run efficiently, was the leading cause as to why companies want to exit Chakan.Highlighting the existing issues in the industrial area, they have sought the creation of a nodal agency to bring about better coordination between various bodies such as Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Pune Region Metropolitan Development Authority (PMRDA), Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and gram panchayats in the area.The problems are deep-seated and extend beyond the 20 MSMEs who recently warned of moving out of the Chakan industrial area. Over 7,000 small and large units located outside Chakan but in the vicinity of the Chakan MIDC area are losing operational efficiency because of multiple bottlenecks. Although several traffic issues have been resolved over the past year, the surrounding areas, which PMRDA is supposed to develop, is lagging significantly behind on visible progress, said Dilip Batwal, CEO of the Federation of Chakan Industries.Several company representatives expressed their dissatisfaction with the area’s public infrastructure or the lack of it and did not allow a PMRDA official to speak during the news conference. PMRDA executive engineer Shivkumar Kupal said on the sidelines that the authority is acquiring land for four bypass roads on the Pune-Nashik highway and seven roads near the Chakan MIDC area will be completed by Feb.“PMRDA has done a shoddy job in Chakan. Officials only make promises that are never fulfilled. Govt and administration are painting a very rosy picture, but the situation on ground remains very bad. Roads are pothole-ridden. Accidents are a regular phenomenon. Employees, especially women, face hours-long delays in reaching office and back home,” Prashant Tope, a small business owner in the area, said.“Even when the MIDC roads are in proper condition, people have to go through a maze of pothole-ridden roads to reach factories. This causes long delays in transportation, and workers in second and third shifts are always late to the factory,” said a representative of auto component maker Brembo India..“Running pillar to post seeking better infrastructure is not a job of a business leader. But the situation is so dire that we have to raise the issue publicly. People prefer jobs in Pimpri Chinchwad and do not want to come to Chakan because they lose four hours in commute time. We are also bearing the extra cost of offices in Pune city to house our non-production linked staff. Employee retention is a problem,” said Swapnil Mogrekar, CEO of an Italian company.“We do not want to shift businesses outside Chakan as it is the largest hub in the state. But given that the lack of infrastructure is now wreaking havoc on operations, most business leaders are thinking along the lines of moving out, given a better choice,” Dhananjay Shedbale, representing the group of 20 MSMEs who had sought expansion in Satara MIDC, said.
