'Eknath Shinde Was Extremely Aggressive'

'I've seen a lot of meetings over the years, but this was the first time I've seen the deputy chief minister and the industries minister sit through something like this with 200 to 300 industrialists, local residents and politicians from both the ruling side and Opposition, all in the same room.'

For months, the small and medium units of Chakan MIDC had been warning anyone who would listen: Fix the roads, the water, the power and the garbage, or watch the industrial belt empty out.

Earlier this month, Shantanu Kulkarni -- owner of Matrix Pulling and president of the Chakan Industrial Association -- went public with just how far things had gone: Roughly twenty MSME units, together employing 3,000 to 4,000 workers and accounting for an estimated Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) in business, were actively exploring a move to the Khandala MIDC in neighbouring Satara district.

The reasons were unglamorous but serious -- broken roads reduced to little more than potholes, traffic jams that could turn a five kilometre commute into a two-hour ordeal, and waste management that simply never got sorted.

Khandala was shortlisted precisely because its infrastructure already exists.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis conceded, ahead of a crucial weekend meeting, that the gaps were real. Industries Minister Uday Samant then spent Sunday inspecting Chakan's potholed roads before chairing a three-hour sit-down with industrialists, local legislators and officials, with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde joining by video-link.

What followed, by most accounts, was unusually blunt: Shinde is said to have pressed bureaucrats to compress timelines rather than pad them, and set up a 14 department committee under Pune Collector Jitendra Dudi to see it through.

Kulkarni, who was in the room, tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff why association members have put their plan to shift out of Chakan on hold -- and why he and the association members are impressed with the state government's aggressive attitude to get this problem solved within the assured timeline which could go a long way in finally and permanently fixing a six-year-old mess.

'The government now acknowledges it. What matters is that they've taken it seriously and moved fast'

Before we get into the government's response, what exactly pushed the Chakan Industrial Association to threaten an exit after all these years?

There are certain issues we've been flagging to the government -- garbage, roads, power and water. On that basis, we started looking at moving out.

This has been an issue with Chakan MIDC for a while, hasn't it -- ten, fifteen, twenty years?

Not quite that long. When Chakan MIDC was growing, everything was fine. I'd say the problem really got worse only in the last five or six years.

Why do you think it worsened then?

Because industry kept growing while the basic infrastructure stayed the same. MIDC did its part -- they built the core infrastructure. But what about the connecting roads? That's where we are stuck today.

So why do you think the state fell behind -- why couldn't infrastructure keep pace with the industry it was attracting?

That's a fair question, and to be honest, the government itself now acknowledges it. What matters is that they've taken it seriously and moved fast. They've broken their response into three stages -- short-term, medium-term and long-term. The short-term measures should be done by the end of this month.

And the medium and long term?

The medium-term work will be completed in 10 to 12 months, and the long-term projects in three to four years.

Did the government give you anything concrete, or just broad assurances?

Very concrete. It's all on record -- you'll find it on the government's own web site; everything that was committed has been documented.

You met Industries Minister Uday Samant. What did he promise?

He promised better road conditions, better infrastructure overall, better power supply and better water supply. And a committee has been set up to drive it, headed by the (Pune) collector (Jitendra Dudi).

So the collector is now the man responsible for delivering on all this?

Yes, it's entirely under his belt. MIDC, PMRDA, the National Highway authority, parts of PCMC -- all of them report into that structure, and he coordinates everyone.

'This isn't just about industry, it's about the people who live here, who work here, who run these units'

How many industries were actually threatening to move out of Chakan?

Initially it was twenty. That number is on hold now -- I'm part of that group myself. We've decided to give it ten to twelve months because of how positively the chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis), the deputy chief Mminister (Eknath Shinde) and the industries minister (Uday Samant) have responded.

Were these small, medium or large units?

Only small and medium.

Roughly how many people did these twenty companies employ?

Somewhere between three and four thousand.

And their combined turnover?

Somewhere between 800 crore (Rs 8 billion) and 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion).

Out of everything you raised, which were the three or four most serious issues?

Roads, water, power and garbage -- in that order, more or less.

What's likely to be sorted in the next fifteen days?

First, the road conditions -- they'll fix the roads themselves and open up more outlets connecting Chakan to Pune. They're also planning to install a garbage recycling and collection plant. The planning is in place; now it's about execution.

How hopeful are you, honestly, after this meeting?

Very hopeful. 'I've seen a lot of meetings over the years, but this was the first time I've seen the deputy chief minister and the industries minister sit through something like this with 200 to 300 industrialists, local residents and politicians from both the ruling side and Opposition, all in the same room.

You mean Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde?

Yes, Eknath Shinde. And he was extremely aggressive in that meeting.

In what sense?

Whenever an official said something would take six months, he'd push back and ask -- why not three?

So he was putting real pressure on the agencies responsible for these problems.

Real pressure. And they responded positively -- they kept saying, we need to get this done. This isn't just about industry, it's about the people who live here, who work here, who run these units. The government is genuinely active and aggressive on this right now.

'Transportation and traffic... I believe it will be resolved'

If you had to list the issues you expect to be resolved in the next ten months, what would top that list?

Transportation and traffic, without question. That's the big one, and I believe it will be resolved.

You sound confident.

We are, genuinely. That confidence is why we've chosen to hold off on any decision -- because of how aggressively the Deputy CM, the CM and the industries minister have pushed this, together, as one front.

I wouldn't want to suggest the government isn't supporting us -- it very much is, and local politicians have backed this too. That's what's really driving the momentum.

Beyond traffic -- roads, water, power, waste management -- will those also be addressed within the year, given how aggressive the government has been?

Yes, because they are being aggressive about it. And Collector (Jitendra) Dudi strikes me as a genuinely positive, proactive man in this role.

Is ten months a realistic deadline for problems that have piled up over six years?

You hope for the best -- we're Indians, that's what we do. I choose to believe in the positive rather than dwell on the negative. When someone tells me they're working on it, the least we can do is support that effort.

These twenty companies -- how long have they actually been operating in Chakan?

Most of them for around twenty years. A smaller number -- maybe 15 to 20 per cent -- set up in the last decade, in and around Chakan.

Given you've invested ten, even twenty years there, would it really be easy to relocate?

Not easy at all. But if things simply aren't moving in the right direction, what choice do we have? I'm settled here, my employees are here -- but if nothing improves, we'd have no option but to look elsewhere.

Would it even be financially viable to move after so many years?

Ask me again in ten to twelve months and I'll give you a straight answer. Right now, things look good, so we're not actively pursuing it -- but that doesn't mean we've stopped exploring it altogether. That would be foolish when things are moving as positively and aggressively as they are right now.

And the wider industry body in Chakan -- do they share your trust that this will be delivered in ten to twelve months?

Yes, absolutely.

Finally -- what's your message to Chief Minister Fadnavis, Deputy CM Shinde and Industries Minister Samant?

Whatever commitments were made in that meeting weren't made to industry alone -- they were made to the common man, to farmers, to ordinary people. Industry is just one part of it. Prove that the intent is genuine, and results will follow.

You're confident that if all this comes through, Chakan's industrial output will rise sharply?

Tremendously. Today, people are losing nearly two hours a day just sitting in traffic. Fix that, and you fix people's energy and mindset too -- and that's the most important factor of all.

That's really the basic economic argument -- better infrastructure lifts productivity.

We're all hoping for the best, and if things keep moving the way they are, the growth will follow.