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Journalism of Courage
As polling for the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections got under way on Friday, the industry in Pune rolled out its wishlist: it wants a government which “will deliver” and “represent Pune”. Both the real estate and industrial sectors hope the next government and, more importantly, the next MP from the region would do justice to the area.
Deepak Karandikar, president of the Mahrattta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), pointed out that Pune is the seventh largest metro in the country and is the leader in engineering exports. “However, the district has not got its due — we are yet to see sizeable representation from the district in the Union Cabinet,” he said.
Karandikar hoped that the next representative is able to do justice to the district, which is a significant contributor to the nation’s GDP. “At the end of the day, we want a government which delivers,” he said.
For the real estate sector, the government’s push for economy housing has been a welcome decision. But the sector wants the government to recalibrate the very definition of economy housing.
Ranjit Naiknavare, president of CREDAI Pune Metro, said, “The current government has rolled out policies for affordable housing. However, post-Covid there has been a 40-45 per cent increase in construction costs and there are challenges to implementing affordable housing in its present form. In the future, affordable housing will work if there is a change in the definition of affordable housing and a policy addressing reduction in input cost in construction by reduction in GST, reduction in indirect taxation, and so on.”
The small and medium scale industry in the district wants the pending issue of Red Zone (areas which fall within a certain radius of defence establishments where no construction is allowed) addressed.
Abhay Bhor, president of the Forum of Small Scale industries of Pimpri Chinchwad, also talked about a special township Act to help industries in the MIDC areas of the district. “Without such an authority, development, especially that of basic amenities, is not possible for the sector,” he said.
Small and medium scale industries form the backbone of Pune’s industrial sector. They employ over 5-6 lakh people in the district.
