Maharashtra Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde has urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to set up a task force to plan and suggest decentralisation of businesses and industries to areas outside the Mumbai and Pune metropolitan regions.
“Almost 50% share of the State’s GDP comes from these two metropolitan regions as industries are concentrated in these two areas. As a result, despite the lifting of the lockdown, unless businesses in these areas start normally, it is difficult for the State’s economy to come back to normal. With this in mind, it is important that we come up with a decentralisation policy of businesses and a special task force be appointed for the same,” Mr. Shinde said in a letter to the CM, which has also been sent to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta.
Mr. Shinde has suggested that a Cabinet committee with the ministers of Urban Development, Industries, Finance, Revenue and Tourism be formed, in addition to the task force of senior officials of these departments which could also include retired bureaucrats and economists. Mr. Shinde said the under-construction Mumbai-Nagpur super communication expressway, named after Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, could boost the efforts to decentralise industrial development.
“Around 24 districts will benefit from this highway, either directly or indirectly. Mumbai can be reached within a few hours after the completion of this road. Therefore, as many new businesses as possible can be given space in these districts,” he said.
Mr. Shinde said even though Maharashtra has already announced its industrial policy, the local conditions at several places are different. “As a result, it is important that a division-wise industrial policy is planned and types and quantity of concessions given at different level should be kept different. Only if we plan the decentralisation of businesses, the threat of closing down of entire economy can be averted,” he said.
