The Verna Industrial Estate is thirsty for development and infrastructure solutions. Literally so. The Verna Industrial Association, in its 114th AGM had pointed out to the government, that due to non-availability of raw water in the estate, about 300 small and big industries, including multinational industries operating from Verna IDC, which provide employment to over 15,000 people face a severe water crisis.
According to the VIA President Damodar Kochkar, the association had also pointed out that the industries have been facing erratic power supply and pending underground cabling in the industrial estate needs to be undertaken on priority.
Similarly the demand to resolve the pending issue of garbage menace, installation of traffic signals at Birla Junction and Titan Junction, demarcation of truck terminal with all amenities to resolve the issue of heavy vehicle parking alongside the road, besides several other issues, were raised with the belief that the same would be resolved. “Since the last 10 AGMs we have been pointing out similar issues before the government and are still waiting for their resolution,” Kochkar said.
The water crisis at the industrial estate continues because PWD authorities have bifurcated the raw water supplying pipeline work into several small jobs and floated different tenders due to which the water pipeline that can supply over 20 MLD to the units could not be completed in some stretches and these industries still have to depend on alternative sources which is either by tanker supply or through bore wells.
SECURITY: POLICE OUTPOST & STREET LIGHTS
As there are more than 15,000 people working in the Verna Industrial Estate, the demand for an outpost was genuine as the industrial estate currently falls under the jurisdiction of two police stations – Verna and Maina Curtorim police stations. “It was assured to us last year that within a week, the government would try to resolve the issue. Even this important demand remains pending,” Kochkar said.
He added, “We had also asked to improve the streetlights in Verna industrial estate as many ladies have to walk in dark during the night.”