49 MSMEs have proposed investments totalling Rs 23,209.7 million (mn) in the Chakan-Bhosari industrial belt in Pune district, Maharashtra, the state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told an industry gathering. The proposals have been formalised through memoranda of understanding and are intended to expand production capacity and create thousands of jobs across the region. Companies are expected to commence production within one to two years, the announcement added. The state government has decided to conduct an MSME census to map the number, nature, employment, production capacity and requirements of such units, and the resulting data will inform policy and facility improvements. The Industries Department and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation will facilitate land allocation, infrastructure and other required facilities for units that have signed the MoUs. A separate mechanism has been created to support planned and faster MSME development across Maharashtra. The announcement came amid opposition claims that industries were considering relocation from the Chakan MIDC area owing to severe traffic congestion and inadequate infrastructure, which the government rejected. The chief minister outlined plans to modernise industrial estates developed three to four decades ago and to convert them into industrial cities with independent administrative mechanisms. Under the proposed model, local taxes could be used for administration, sanitation and infrastructure development. Industries minister Uday Samant said the Chakan region was expected to attract substantial investments and that infrastructure concerns were being addressed as a priority, adding that demand for industrial land in Chakan could exceed available supply within a year. He denied that entrepreneurs were leaving the state and said investors continued to have confidence in Maharashtra's investment environment. The state plans to introduce the industrial city model beginning in Pune district and progressively transform existing estates into modern industrial cities to improve the operating environment and support new and expanding units.