Industrialists urge CM to provide funds to upgrade MIDC roads in Nashik city

Nashik: Members of the Nashik Industries & Manufacturers' Association (NIMA) on Monday met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai and urged him to allocate funds for the long-pending upgrade of roads in the Ambad and Satpur industrial estates of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).

Both estates fall within the jurisdiction of the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) and house over 4,500 manufacturing units. The appeal was made during a brief meeting with the CM after the listing ceremony of NMC's green municipal bonds at the National Stock Exchange (NSE).


NIMA president Ashish Nahar and vice-president Manish Rawal apprised the CM of the deteriorating condition of MIDC roads and the need to comprehensively upgrade them using state govt funds. They said many stretches have not been re-laid for nearly 15 years, resulting in severe wear and damage that impede industrial operations and transportation.

Municipal commissioner Manisha Khatri and mayor Himgauri Aher were also present during the interaction. According to Nahar, the industrial body has demanded that all major and internal roads in Ambad and Satpur MIDC be concretised through a white-topping project.

"We estimate that nearly Rs1,000 crore will be required for the complete white-topping of the MIDC roads. Given the scale of work, assistance from state govt is essential. During our meeting in Mumbai, we requested the CM to provide the necessary funds to NMC for executing these upgrades," he said, adding that the CM immediately told the mayor to prepare a detailed proposal and submit it to the state govt.

Rawal said road improvement is critical, especially in view of the upcoming Kumbh Mela. "When the entire city is undergoing road upgrades ahead of the Kumbh, the MIDC areas cannot be neglected. These industrial belts are the economic lungs of Nashik, contributing over 70% of NMC's total revenue through GST paid by industries," Rawal said.

He added that improved infrastructure in industrial zones would not only ease logistics during the Kumbh, but also strengthen Nashik's long-term industrial ecosystem.

The Ambad and Satpur MIDC estates together have around 68-km of internal and arterial roads. Of this, white-topping has so far been sanctioned for only 8-km, leaving nearly 60-km in urgent need of concrete surfacing.

Industry representatives stressed that timely state intervention is crucial to ensure the remaining stretches are upgraded before the Kumbh Mela preparations peak.