No place in DMIC? industry bodies fume

NASHIK: Industry bodies such as Nashik Industries & Manufacturers' Association (NIMA), Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Agriculture (MCCI&A) and Laghu Udyog Bharti (LUB) have express concerns over Nashik's exclusion from the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project and decided to take up the issue with the state and the Centre.
The industry's reactions comes in the wake of Friday's clarification by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) chief executive officer Bhushan Gagrani that non-availability of water was a major hurdle for the DMIC project in Nashik as the water resources department had expressed inability to reserve water in the dams for the project for Nashik."We need water if we have to implement the project here", he had said.
Speaking to TOI, NIMA president Ravi Verma, said, "The DIMC project is being executed in the first phase in Aurangabad, where there is already a scarcity of water. But Nashik has been excluded from the project even we have adequate water. In Nashik, there's a large number of dams. The report submitted in this connection by the water resource department is false. We don't have problem with Aurangabad, but we will not bear if Nashik's rights are given to others. Nashik has a bright future because of the DMIC project. The project will fuel the city's growth due to industrial townships that would come up."
Verma added, "We will even hit the street if the DMIC project us not implemented in Nashik. We will raise this issue through local MLAs and MPs. We will meet district guardian minister and water resource minister Girish Mahajan, local MLAs and MPs and also chief minister Devendra Fadanvis."
M G Kulkarni, president, Laghu Udyog Bharati, Nashik centre, said, "Nashik is providing drinking water to Mumbai and other three-four districts. At this juncture, it is surprising to exclude Nashik from the DMIC project. Nashik should be included in the DMIC project at least in the second phase. On one hand, Nashik is identified as a smart city by the Centre. On the other, it is excluded from the DMIC project."
MCCI&A vice-president Santosh Mandlecha, said, "It is a matter of concerns if Nashik is being excluded from the DMIC project only because of the water. Incidentally, water is released to Aurangabad from Nashik. The population of Nashik is increasing and there will be no water for the industries by 2029 if we don't take measures right from now The government needs to set up an authority of the PWD and the water resource department to chalk out measures on water issue."
In Phase-I, the DMIC project will see development of seven new industrial cities; the Dadri-Noida-Ghaziabad Investment Region in Uttar Pradesh, Manesar-Bawal Investment Region in Haryana, Khushkhera-Bhiwadi-Neemrana Investment Region in Rajasthan, Pithampur-Dhar-Mhow Investment Region in Madhya Pradesh, Ahmedabad-Dholera Investment Region in Gujarat and Shendra-Bidkin Industrial Park city and Dighi Port Industrial Area, both in Maharashtra.
The DMIC in Maharashtra covers Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Nashik, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Pune, Dhule & Nandurbar districts and would influence 18% of the state's total area.