Road work in Chikalthana MIDC delayed

Proposal has not received green signal from MIDC Mumbai office

Aurangabad, May 21:

The road construction in Chikalthana industrial area is once again at a standstill. The MIDC had sent a road repair proposal of Rs 54 crore to the Mumbai office. According to the sources, the proposal has not received a green signal from the Mumbai office due to the project expenditure. This has delayed the road repairs works in MIDC.

Chikalthana MIDC is known as the oldest industrial area in the city. Hundreds of small and big industries are operating here. Moreover, there are urban settlements on all four sides. Chikalthana MIDC has 38 km of internal roads. These roads are in poor condition due to a lack of repairs. The area was transferred to AMC jurisdiction, hence maintenance and repair work of roads came in the jurisdiction of the corporation. Industries pay taxes to the municipal corporation. But there is resentment in the industrialists for not getting that much facility.

Meanwhile, guardian minister Subhash Desai visited Chikalthana in July 2020. He immediately ordered the MIDC to prepare and send a road repair proposal after learning of the pathetic condition of roads. Following the order, a consolidated proposal of Rs 54 crore for road repairs was sent to the Mumbai MIDC office. However, no decision has been taken yet.

A proposal was also sent to the municipal corporation for approval. It was approved but it was not officially signed by administrator Astik Kumar Pandey, sources said. Therefore, there is an atmosphere of resentment among the entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs said that more than 70 per cent of the roads in the area are unusable.

No facility despite paying tax

In the last 30 years, crores of rupees have been paid in taxes through Chikalthana MIDC. In general, more than Rs 40 crore tax is being paid every year. But compared to that, MIDC and municipal corporation has not done anything to provide basic facilities, said entrepreneur Abhay Hanchnal.