CM takes note of harassment faced by German firms in Pune’s Chakan industrial belt
Firms subjected to harassment in issues of water supply, tenders and labour supply
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ office has taken due note of the complaints put forward by Jüergen Morhard , German Counsul General regarding the harassment German firms in the Chakan industrial belt are subjected to from extortionists which were raised by the Counsul General during his visit in the first week of October.
Praveensinh Pardeshi additional chief secretary of state, also reviewed the complaints and has directed the home department to take immediate steps through the newly-formed Pimpri Chinchwad police commissionerate.
RK Padmanabhan, Pimpri Chinchwad police commissioner said a meeting between the police and the top honchos of German companies will be held soon.
“We will hear out their grievances and appropriate action will be taken based on the nature of complaints,” he said.
Morhard, during a visit to the industrial areas of Pimpri, Chinchwad, Bhosari, Talegaon and Chakan, had publicly alleged during an industrial conference in Pune,that a criminal mafia was hampering the functioning of German companies operating in the industrial zone under the Pimpri Chinchwad police commissionerate.
He also publicly demanded during his visit to Pune that the police should help companies in warding off the nuisance and harassment from this mafia and had discussed the issue in detail with Padmanabhan.
Morhard in his submission said the harassment was faced on issues relating to tenders, tanker water supply and its control by the tanker mafia; labour issues and the demand that locals be given priority in employment.
Police officials said that the chief minister’s office has also been apprised about the situation as such complaints went against the spirit of the government’s flagship initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make in Maharashtra’
These companies have been suffering due to organised mafia over the past few years and problems have reached alarming proportions, industry watchers said.
Company officials have submitted complaints about being threatened whenever they sought water supply and are pressurised to hire mathadi workers and have to scrap their original contracts in order to hire the mathadi workers.
On this issue, the head of the companies had met top officials of the rural police as the industrial areas fell under the rural police jurisdiction before the Pimpri Chinchwad police commissionerate became operational.Since their problems were not resolved locally, some companies directly approached their foreign embassies and consulates seeking an end to the mafia menace.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad police commissionerate came into vogue from August 15 and has control over several areas which were earlier under the rural and city police.
Strong presence of German firms in Pune
Pune hosts nearly 300 small, medium and large German companies engaged in automobile, manufacturing and other sectors, prominent among whom are Mercedes Benz India, Volkswagen, Thyssenkrupp and Siemens.
Given this large presence, the city is home to almost 1,000 Germans who live and work in the city as expats with their families, volunteers and students.
Pune’s partnership with the German city of Bremen has been commemorated with the Bremen chowk in Aundh as a symbol to celebrate this friendship.
Institutes like the Max Mueller bhavan and events like the annual Pune Oktoberfest organised by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce mark the strong association that Pune has with Germany.