Kolhapur has potential to be auto component mfg hub: Gadkari

Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said Kolhapur had the potential to become a hub for manufacturing automobile components and that govt was looking to turn the ethanol industry into a INR 2-lakh-crore sector.

“Kolhapur is home to sugar mills and we are going to make the ethanol industry a INR 2-lakh-crore sector. It will also benefit the farmers. Shutting down petrol and diesel pumps in the country is my dream and biofuels are the future,” Gadkari said, while addressing youth, traders, entrepreneurs and intellectuals during ‘Coffee with Nitinji’ event at Maha Sainik Darbar Hall in Kolhapur city on Saturday morning.

Gadkari was in the city to campaign for Mahayuti candidate Sanjay Mandlik.

“Build-operate-transfer (BOT) will soon be introduced in transmission lines. Solar panels will be installed at homes, solar pumps will be given to farmers and solar tricycles have been made for specially abled citizens. So, we will start exporting energy in the next 10 years,” Gadkari said.

Under a BOT contract, an entity (usually a govt) grants a concession to a private firm to finance, build, and operate a project for a period of up to 30 years, following which the project is returned to the public entity that originally granted the concession.

Gadkari said India had become the third largest country in the world in the automobile sector. “Kolhapur has a huge mechanical and foundry industry background. So, it has potential to become a hub for manufacturing automobile components. The district also has potential to become silver and textile designing hub. The entrepreneurs here should now turn their attention to quality than the cost,” he said.

On the lack of IT industry in Kolhapur, Gadkari said several IT engineers from Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara had moved to America in search of jobs. “Ask them to return. If they come together and make a cluster with the help of govt, the IT industry can be started here too,” he said.

In the evening, Gadkari addressed a public rally at Pandharpur in Solapur Lok Sabha constituency to campaign for Mahayuti candidate Ram Satpute. “Technology is fast developing in agriculture. High yielding seeds of grapes and pomegranates need to be developed in nurseries to double yield. We need to increase irrigation in Maharashtra. Every drop of water needs to be deposited back into the ground. Our govt will give highest priority to irrigation projects, especially in draught-prone areas,” he said.