Pune needs more LNG filling stations. 15,000 vehicles that are today running on gas have only five filling stations to meet their refilling needs. The result is enormous queues, frayed tempers and diminishing enthusiasm for going green. Fingers point to government delays in approval of new filling stations with red tape being longer than the queues. Also the requirement of stations to have a minimum space of 10,000 sq.ft is proving difficult to achieve given the acute shortage of available real estate within the city centre. The local govt. has to do more and quickly if Pune is to redeem itself as an erstwhile green lung.
Pune can expect close to 20 million euros in Belgian investments, very soon. According to Herman Merckx, the Consul General of Belgium, Pune ranks as a favourite destination because of its industrial strengths, educational facilities and reputation as a major IT centre. Chief among the Belgian companies expanding in Pune are Bekaert, Reynaers India and food processing firms.
Tech Mahindra, a joint venture between M&M and British Telecom, plans to set up a 10,000-seat development centre at the Infotech Park in Hinjewadi. 25 acres of land have already been leased from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) for this purpose. The company expects to spend Rs. 198 crore towards development of the first phase of the four-year project. Tech Mahindra is also looking at new software development centres in SEZs in Chandigarh and Kolkata.
Finolex Industries plans to develop an IT SEZ on land that it owns in Pune according to Assistant Managing Director S.S. Dhanorkar. The development would help the company unlock the value of the company's land holding. The company is seeking to partner with property developers from India or abroad to develop the 78-acre plot.