Process on to acquire one lakh acres of land for industrial use: CM Fadnavis tells MIDC
Chairing a review meeting of key land acquisition proposals at Varsha, the chief minister said the process must be carried out in a transparent and time-bound manner, while ensuring that the landowners should not face any inconvenience.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday directed officials to speed up land acquisition for infrastructure and industrial projects across Maharashtra and asked the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) to work towards making one lakh acres of land available for industrial use to meet rising investor demand.
Chairing a review meeting of key land acquisition proposals at Varsha, the chief minister said the process must be carried out in a transparent and time-bound manner, while ensuring that the landowners should not face any inconvenience.
He said the state government would provide all necessary support to district administrations to expedite acquisition.
Officials informed the chief minister during the meeting that a total of 8,969 acres of land is currently available for industrial development across various departments, while 20,431 acres has newly been acquired.
Fadnavis said the demand for industrial land has increased significantly, driven by fresh investment proposals and hence the new land acquisition should be expedited but without any inconveniences to the land holders.
While the Mumbai–Pune–Nagpur corridor continues to see strong demand, he said Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Solapur are also witnessing a rise in land requirements from investors.
He asked district collectors in these regions to prioritise land acquisition and ensure timely completion of related procedures.
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The chief minister also reviewed land acquisition for projects being implemented by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), including the Shaktipeeth Expressway, Virar–Alibaug Multimodal Corridor, Nagpur–Gondia Expressway, Bhandara–Gadchiroli Expressway, Nagpur–Chandrapur Expressway, Navegaon–Surjagad Mineral Corridor and the Jalna–Nanded Expressway.
Fadnavis said, “planning should ensure that all ongoing infrastructure projects are completed within the next three years.”
He stressed the need to acquire large, contiguous parcels of land while avoiding forest areas, so that land can be allotted to industries without fragmentation-related delays.
He also directed officials to submit proposals for the free transfer of unused government land from various departments for industrial use. This, he said, would help make land available at lower costs, boost industrial investment and support employment generation in the state.
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Industries Minister Uday Samant said that, “no forest land had been acquired during the land acquisition process in the Konkan region. Deficiencies in the proposal for the additional Gondpipri industrial area in Chandrapur district had been addressed and the proposal has been received for approval.”
Senior officials from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation made presentations on the current status of land acquisition across the state.
Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, senior officials from the revenue, public works and industries departments, and district collectors from the concerned districts attended the meeting, the latter via video conference.
Vallabh Ozarkar is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized as an authoritative and deeply knowledgeable voice on the politics, governance, and infrastructure of Maharashtra. With more than nine years of experience in major news organizations, his reporting delivers high standards of Expertise and Trustworthiness.
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