The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government plans to revamp the city’s industrial areas to boost industries in Delhi. On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, Delhi Industries Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj met with representatives from factory owner associations across 27 different industrial areas at the Delhi Secretariat to discuss the initiative.
During the meeting with trade organisations, Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj emphasised that the Delhi government is committed to the development and maintenance of 27 unplanned industrial areas. He noted that the government has been collaborating with trade organisations for a long time to improve these areas and has introduced a scheme for their revamp. Under this scheme, the Delhi government will cover 90% of the costs associated with the layout plan for the development, while factory owners will contribute the remaining 10%. This arrangement ensures shared responsibility between the government and trade organisations in these industrial areas, he added.
During the meeting, Brijesh Goyal, Chairman of CTI, an apex organisation of traders and entrepreneurs, requested the minister, on behalf of all trade organisations, to consider reducing the high fees for MCD map approvals in the 27 unplanned industrial areas. Goyal pointed out that Delhi has 29 authorised industrial areas and 27 unplanned ones. Factory owners from these unplanned areas have asked the government to include the cost of MCD map approvals under the new scheme. Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj agreed to this request and instructed officials to formulate a policy aligning map approval fees with the government’s scheme.
Vijay Virmani, President of the Delhi Manufacturing Federation, praised the Delhi government’s new scheme during the meeting. He remarked that this is the first time in 30 years that a government has shown genuine concern for traders’ issues. Virmani highlighted that small factories in industrial areas such as Dabri, Khayala, Nangli Sakravati, Nawada, Peeragarhi, Rithala, Haiderpur, Karawal Nagar, Shalimar Village, Samaypur Badli, and Tikri Kalan are run by middle-class traders, providing employment to thousands and supporting the livelihoods of countless families. He commended the Kejriwal government’s initiative as a significant step towards improving the lives of these traders and their families. Virmani added that the development of these industrial areas would not only benefit the trader community but also boost industries, create new job opportunities, and enhance Delhi’s economy.