Nagpur: It has become very difficult for industries in Maharashtra, especially Vidarbha region, to compete with neighbouring states due to high cost of power and other related issues. The situation has exacerbated to an extent that out of over 175 steel industries from Vidarbha now barely eight-nine firms are operating now, revealed Pankaj Bakshi, an Industrialist, here, on Tuesday.
Tapadia was speaking at a press conference organised by Vidarbha Industries Association (VIA) at VIA Auditorium, Udyog Bhawan, Civil Lines, to address the burning issues of power cost in Vidarbha-Marathwada region, subsidy difficulty in doing business in Maharashtra
R B Goenka, Vice President of VIA, Prashant Mohota, Chairman, VIA Energy Forum, Industrialists Ashish Chandarana, Vishal Agrawal and Praveen Tapdia were prominently present on this occasion.
“The industries in Vidarbha need support from Maharashtra Government for sustainability and to stand in competition with neighboring States other wise industries will have no other option, to shut down their industry or to reduce production or to migrate to neighboring states who are having liberal policies apart from lower power tariffs,” expressed Goenka on this occasion. He also presented stats showing how industries from Maharashtra are paying almost double power cost compared to neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Mohota the discussed withdrawal & delay in releasing of power subsidy under 2018 -2023 Textile policy.
“Considering the high power tariff and huge availability of cotton within the state of Maharashtra, Government had finalized Rs. 2 subsidy for existing as well as new units under the Textile policy scheme of 2018-23. Many units also started enjoying the benefit of this very apt scheme and overall textile business flourished within state.
Unfortunately, now this benefit has been withdrawn for some units in-spite of being given earlier and without any valid reason. The whole action has been taken in a step-motherly and discretionary manner, with many units continue to receive the benefit while some are suffering badly due to malafide withdrawal. Also many units which have come up under this new textile policy, are yet to receive this benefit and thus are suffering badly due to very high power cost,” he said.
The panel also discussed the issue of high cost FAC from the month of June 2022 up to November 2022, increase in security deposit amount, delay in sanction of power, installation of solar generation, grid connectivity applications, poor quality and regular supply interruptions issues and others with media.
