Nashik, Agency

Acting on the instructions of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has approved the allocation of 4,200 acres of land at Haregaon Mala in Ahilyanagar district for three key industries: ammunition and explosives, defence equipment, and solar energy projects. The move is set to transform the face of the district.

The decision involves allocating a total of 4,200 acres as follows: 1,500 acres to DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) for establishing research and development facilities for ammunition and explosives; 1,200 acres to MahaUrja for solar park and wind energy projects; and 1,500 acres to Nibe Ordnance and Maritime Factories Limited for a defense equipment manufacturing project.

A meeting of the Cabinet Sub-committee was held at Mantralaya on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Education Minister Dada Bhuse and Minister for Environment and Climate Change Pankaja Munde were prominently present at the meeting.

The land will be leased to the respective organizations for a period of 49 years. An annual lease rent of ₹50,000 per acre has been fixed, and the rent for three years must be paid in a lump sum.

A decision has also been taken to distribute a total of 3,900 acres of uncultivable fallow land—comprising 2,300 acres remaining with the State Farming Corporation and another 1,600 acres—to local farmers after the land allocation to these organizations is completed.

The sub-committee clarified that the final approval of the state cabinet would be required for the actual implementation of this decision, after which the allocation process would commence.

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