Nagpur: Over the past year, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) achieved a notable milestone by reclaiming 223.23 hectares (equivalent to 22,32,265 square meters) of unused land spread across the state. This initiative harks back to a pivotal decision made during Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s tenure in 2015. At that time, the State Cabinet had resolved to retrieve land acquired by entrepreneurs who failed to utilize it for its designated purpose within the stipulated 10-year period.
Last year, from July 1, 2022 to December 19, 2023, MIDC took back 451 unused plots all over Maharashtra. However, according to the reports, there are more plots than 451. Does it mean that MIDC is a bit soft? An official in the office of Uday Samant, Maharashtra Minister of Industry said, “We are not soft, but there are certain rules which we have to follow. After following those, we could take 451 plots, the area of which comes to 223.23 hectare or 22,32,265.63 square metres of land.”
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Wednesday 07 Jan. 2025
Earlier, the Government had thought of taking the land back from entrepreneurs and giving it back to the farmers from whom it was acquired. But the whole process was not done in a scrupulous manner. If one takes a look at the statistics, one would realise, Nagpur Regional Office has taken the highest number of plots and more land back after Pune Regional Office.
Nagpur Regional Office comprising Wardha, Chandrapur, Gondia, Bhandara, Gadchiroli and Nagpur has taken back 123 plots of the area 5,93,241.63 square metres. Amravati regional office has taken 31 plots of the area 2,83,288 sq metre back. In Pune, the MIDC has taken back 165 plots having the area of 7,60,961.43 sq metres. If total area that was taken back by MIDC is taken into account then more area of industry land in Vidarbha was taken back by the authority than the land it has taken back in Pune.
Notably, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its recent report that was tabled in State Assembly during winter session of State Legislature at Nagpur, has criticised MIDC, for its procrastinating approach in taking action against the owners having unutilised lands. It has also lambasted MIDC for the delays in implementation of land rates, unnecessary concessions given to the owners etc.
In the past the provision of giving the land back to the farmers was not there. But the rule has not been implemented. In many cases, people purchased the non-agriculture land but instead of starting production they changed their purpose from industrial to residential. Ideally, the purchases should start an industry within 15 years of the purchase. CAG has also observed that MIDC had not devised any methodology or weightage formula for the revision of land rates. Secondly, the MIDC is poor in maintaining records of lands taken back.
During Fadnavis Government, MIDC had floated the scheme wherein it had offered several discounts to the owners if they come up with concrete proposals for their lands. CAG observed that the response to the scheme was poor. Surprisingly, MIDC failed to take any action against the owners in terms of acquisition of an unutilised part of the plot.
