UP infrastructure woes: Noida industrialists to shift to Gujarat

NOIDA: Industrialists in Noida, who had warned Uttar Pradesh's Samajwadi Party government that they would move out if infrastructure was not improved, have now approached the Gujarat government for land to set up their industries in the state.

The Noida Entrepreneurs' Association has written to the Narendra Modi government asking it to provide them plots in Mehsana district so that they could begin industrial operations within two years.

The association says it has taken this step because infrastructure facilities continue to be bad in Uttar Pradesh with no sign of improvement. "Even the big names... like Tata and Maruti have shifted base to Gujarat because the government has built an excellent environment in the state for industrial development," said NEA president Vipin Malhan.

Industrialists in Noida have complained several times in the past about the "lackadaisical attitude" of successive UP governments in meeting basic requirements for the industrial sector to flourish. Primary among their demands have been supply of power round the clock to ensure optimum productivity. "Far from it, government is now mulling hiking power tariffs for industries," said Malhan.

While erratic power supply has cut into the profits of industries in UP, Gujarat has attracted them with lower power tariffs. NEA has requested the Gujarat government to make available to them industrial plots ranging between 1,000 and 5,000 sqm in the Mehsana district at government-approved rates. "If land is provided to us, we will work towards completing all formalities within the next two years to make industries operational immediately thereafter," he added.