The Federation of Industry Associations has asked the state government to include setting up of police stations at each industrial estate as part of the critical infrastructure development project (CIDP) to avoid thefts, including that of solvents and chemicals.

Police stations were not part of the CIDP. But in the wake of the recent hooch tragedy, which claimed more than 130 lives, a need was felt for a separate police station at industrial estates to keep track of thefts of chemicals like methanol.

The CIDP project includes maintenance of civic infrastructure, which includes roads, storm water drains, streetlights and other amenities. There are over 100 industrial estates in Gujarat, of which 27 are notified.

“There are many problems in the industrial estates including thefts of chemicals and solvents. Every time something happens, we have to rush to the Chhani police station. Besides thefts, there are several other issues which can be sorted out if there is a police station,” said Babubhai Patel, president of the Federation of Industry Association and secretary of Nandesari Industrial Association.

He added: “I have written to all industrial estates to ask for 1,000 sq metres of land from the government. The government has taken it very positively.”

To begin with, the Nandesari Industrial Estate (NIE) is about to get the required land from the government. Four months ago, NIE had written to the Gujarat government to allot about 1,000 square metres of land for a police station and staff quarters within the industrial estate. The government had earlier said it would upgrade infrastructure of all the old industrial estates of Gujarat Industrial Development Corp (GIDC) under its ‘critical infrastructure plan’.

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