Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, March 13 Maharashtra Industry Minister Uday Samant has said that the issues of export finance and alternative fuel arrangements faced by industries amid the ongoing West Asia crisis will be taken up by the state government with the Centre.
He was speaking to reporters after a meeting with industrial associations and factory owners in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Thursday evening.
Samant said he would raise with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis the issues faced by industries following the US-Israeli war with Iran.
“We expect relief in export-related issues and banking matters. Alternative arrangements for fuel also need to be made. At the same time, we must work on permanent solutions, and we will seek these from the central government,” he said.
Samant said he would place before the CM the industry’s demands regarding gas distribution and request him to convene a meeting in Mumbai. “If needed, we will also meet Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri,” he said.
The industries in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, a key business hub in the state’s Marathwada region, have gas stocks for between three and 12 days, but operations should not stop, he said.
As an immediate relief measure, the administration has been instructed to hold a joint meeting with gas companies, he said. Such meetings will also be held in other cities, he said.
Samant also said notices had been issued to companies that had not used the land allotted to them for a long period.
“We have served notices to several companies in the state that have not utilised the land allotted to them for the past 12 to 15 years. Companies with genuine expansion plans will not face any problem,” he said.
He said the state government has decided to acquire additional land to accommodate more investment in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
“The state government has decided to acquire 8,000 acres of land in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Work on implementing MoUs worth Rs 60,000 crore is underway, and the city could attract investments of nearly Rs 40,000 crore in the future,” Samant said.
“I have given strict instructions to the administration to act firmly if any malpractices are found in gas distribution, as per the recently published Gazette,” he added.