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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : Opposition parties have intensified their attack on the BJP-led state govt and industries minister Uday Samant after US-based Lubrizol withdrew from its proposed Rs 1,914 crore project in the Bidkin industrial area of the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). The company has already vacated the 120-acre plot that had been allotted to it, leaving the site empty and raising questions over the region’s industrial push. Lubrizol had planned to set up a major manufacturing facility inside Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC) at Bidkin, near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Lubrizol’s decision to surrender the 120-acre plot has now raised questions about the factors that led to the withdrawal and the state govt’s efforts to retain major investments in the region. DMIC officials have confirmed the exit, but refused to comment further. Stay updated with the latest Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar news.
“While the industries minister is abroad, industries are leaving the state,” Danve said in a social media post, taking a swipe at Samant. Referring to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis ’ address in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Thursday on the occasion of Marathwada Liberation Day, Danve questioned whether the withdrawal of the Lubrizol project was the region’s “return gift” on the occasion. “On one hand, the govt talks about development, while on the other, major industries that had come to the state are being lost,” Danve said. Congress MP from Jalna Dr Kalyan Kale said, “In the larger interest of the region and state, the govt should walk an extra mile to retain the FDIs. “Those who say the next generation will not see drought should at least ensure that the state does not face a drought of industries,” he said.
The investment was expected to bring substantial foreign direct investment (FDI) to Marathwada and create thousands of jobs for local youth. However, citing a change in business strategy, the company has now pulled out of the project and returned the land to authorities. The withdrawal has triggered criticism from the opposition with Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Ambadas Danve targeting the state govt over the development. Such withdrawal reflects govt’s failure. Danve also targeted the govt over its repeated claim that its policies would ensure that the next generation would not face drought. The development is likely to provide fresh ammunition to the opposition on the issue of industrial investments leaving Maharashtra, particularly in the backdrop of repeated political exchanges over the state’s ability to attract and retain major projects. Download the TOI App.