5 days ago
Industrialists irked by poor roads in Ambad MIDC areas, demand urgent repairs
Nashik: Industrialists in the Ambad MIDC, located within the limits of NMC, are irked by the terrible condition of roads in the estate and the civic body's failure to repair them.
According to the Ambad Industries and Manufacturers Association (AIMA), potholes have surfaced on all major and internal roads in Ambad Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) areas, making driving risky for motorists.
They added that the roads here have not been re-laid for the past 15 years.
MIDC had previously handed over roads in both Ambad and Satpur industrial estates to Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), which repairs and maintains these stretches and streetlights on them. In turn, the industries pay a property tax to the NMC.
Now, a delegation of AIMA, led by its president Lalit Boob, met officiating NMC commissioner Karishma Nair, seeking immediate road repairs and concreting of all roads in the Ambad industrial areas.
Boob also urged the NMC commissioner to make adequate financial provisions in the civic budget for infrastructure improvement in both MIDC areas.
In response, Nair said NMC has made a financial provision of Rs8.5 crore for Ambad industrial estate and Rs6 crore for Satpur MIDC areas, and improvement works will start in the next couple of weeks.
Boob told TOI, "Potholes and the poor condition of roads are slowing vehicle movement, causing traffic jams and minor accidents.
Moreover, workers are developing health issues and vehicle maintenance costs have risen. During peak hours of commute in the morning and evening, traffic jams are a regular affair."
Nikhil Panchal, an industrialist, said, "The condition of roads, particularly in Ambad MIDC areas, has deteriorated further. It is causing huge inconvenience. We want NMC to immediately repair all roads using tar. Moreover, we also want the civic administration to re-lay all major and minor roads in Ambad industrial areas."
He added, "We expected NMC to repair the roads by April, but it could not. Heavy rain has been lashing the city since May 5, further deteriorated the condition of the roads."
There are around 2,000 micro, small, medium, and large industrial units in Ambad MIDC areas, providing employment to over 1 lakh workers. There is also continuous movement of heavy trucks and containers here to transport goods and dispatch finished products.
