NCP leader JitendraAwhad wants Maharashtra govt to allot land to Microsoft

THANE: Senior NCP leader Jitendra Awhad wants the Maharashtra government to allot land to software giant Microsoft Corporation at the proposed Central Business District (CBD) in Thane’s Kalwa area.

The proposed CBD is the “best location” for Microsoft to set up its unit, Awhad said, adding that he has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to allot a plot there to the software major.

Several multinational companies want to set up units in the state near Mumbai and they could be accommodated in the proposed CBD, the MLA from Kalwa-Mumbra told reporters here yesterday.

The proposed sports university could also be set up at the same location, he said.

The state government should also concentrate on resolving the pending issues of Kalwa’s farmers, including compensation to those whose land has been acquired for developmental purposes, he said.

Close on the heels of the plush Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai, the state government had last week decided to set up a CBD in Thane.

The CBD is to be set up on 72 acres of land at Kalwa- Kharigaon and the place will be developed after taking the local elected representatives into confidence, Thane’s guardian minister Eknath Shinde had earlier said in a release.

The setting up of the business district will ease the population concentration and also help generate employment, he had said.