The choice of Hyderabad by French aviation giant Safran over Mihan in Nagpur is not new, but it has given the opposition further reason to criticise the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government after the Tata-Airbus and Vedanta-Foxconn projects were awarded to Gujarat.
Before deciding to locate its maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business in Hyderabad this July, Safran had the MihanSEZ in Nagpur on its radar for five years.
“At this point, we risk developing a negative reputation as a state (for business).
Why are projects gradually being moved to other states? With a prime location, ample land supply, and access to water in Nagpur, why are projects being relocated? Maharashtra’s young won’t soon forget this, according to Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe.
Former junior finance minister and current member of Congress Rajendra Mulak argued that Shinde’s allies BJP ought to have contacted all relevant political parties.
It becomes quite simple to present initiatives to the state if all stakeholders work together, he claimed.
Leaders of the BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde group) nonetheless denied the accusations.
“Opposition parties must cease spreading misleading information and inform everyone that this Safran project is from 2021,” BJP leader Sandip Joshi remarked.
Who was in charge at the time? Members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi are only attempting to conceal their mistakes by diverting attention away from their true goals.
However, the issue becomes weight in light of social media remarks alleging that Maharashtra wasted the Safran opportunity after losing the Vedanta-Foxconn and Tata-Airbus contracts.
Safran’s MRO would have attracted investments worth roughly Rs 1,000 crore.
However, neither a formal proposal from Safran nor even one from TataAirbus has been presented to Maharashtra’s Unit Approval Committee, which makes project-related decisions for the state.
Since Anil Ambani’s Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park received land at the Nagpur site in 2015, there has been talk about Safran moving into Mihan.
Hyderabad was only chosen for the MRO unit this past July, but the government organisation operating Mihan, Maharasthra Airport Development Company, had been pursuing Safran for five years to turn the region into an aviation hub.
