Chief Minister interacts with entrepreneurs
Nagpur, September 2026: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Nagpur is emerging as the site of India’s largest solar model ecosystem and is expected to become a major hub for the solar industry over the next decade. He urged entrepreneurs to make substantial investments in the sector.
Fadnavis visited the Avaada Group facility in the Additional Butibori Industrial Area, inspected its solar model manufacturing operations and later interacted with entrepreneurs.
Avaada Group Founder and Chairman Vineet Mittal conducted a special interview with Chief Minister Fadnavis during the interaction. The Chief Minister discussed Maharashtra’s infrastructure, industrial development and the transformation expected in Mumbai with the participating entrepreneurs.
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Speaking about the New Nagpur project, Fadnavis said an ecosystem for smart industries was being developed in the region. More than 50 per cent of the land required for the project has already been officially allotted, while efforts are underway to promote further investment.
He said the country’s first solar model is being developed in the Additional Butibori area. The Avaada Group requires around 250 acres for expansion of its project, and Fadnavis announced that the land would be provided.
The Chief Minister also said that the land acquired for industries in the Additional Butibori area has been exhausted and that preparations are underway to develop a third Additional Butibori Industrial Estate. Land acquisition is also in progress for a new industrial area in Wardha district, he added.
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Fadnavis described Avaada as one of the largest integrated solar manufacturing enterprises, with advanced integration enabling the production of smart modules. He said the project had progressed rapidly after its foundation ceremony and that around 5,000 workers are currently employed at the facility.
During his interaction with entrepreneurs, Fadnavis said the state government was promoting the development of the steel industry. Efforts were also underway to make electricity available to industries at lower costs, and he expressed confidence that industries would be able to access cheaper power by 2029.
He said work was also being undertaken to strengthen solar battery storage capacity, with emphasis on ensuring round-the-clock availability of energy. This, he said, would help address the power requirements of industries.
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The Chief Minister said Gadchiroli was emerging as a new steel city, with investments worth around Rs 4 lakh crore coming into the district. He also said that a memorandum of understanding had been signed with a Belgian company for the production of green steel in Gadchiroli.
Fadnavis said the Samruddhi Expressway was creating the infrastructure necessary to accelerate development in relatively backward parts of Maharashtra. Along with JNPT, the upcoming Vadhavan Port is expected to become one of the world's top 10 ports, he said.
He added that connectivity through the Dedicated Freight Corridor would make it possible to reach Gadchiroli from Vadhavan Port. This is expected to reduce logistics costs by more than 60 per cent and create significant new opportunities for the state's industrial development.
Fadnavis expressed confidence that the Vadhavan Port project would be completed within the next three years. He described it as a green port that would provide highly efficient infrastructure for future industrial and logistics requirements.
The Chief Minister also assured entrepreneurs that the government would discuss with developers and concerned agencies ways to provide better facilities for private aircraft at Mumbai airport and work towards resolving the issue.
Mumbai to be transformed over the next five years
Speaking about the government's plans to make Mumbai free of slums, Fadnavis said cluster development was being pursued and that providing alternative housing to residents or paying three years' rent was helping facilitate the redevelopment process. He expressed confidence that Mumbai would become largely slum-free over the next decade.
Fadnavis said the face of Mumbai would undergo significant transformation over the next five years. He said the Bandra-Versova corridor is targeted for completion by 2028, while the Versova-Bhayandar North Coastal Road is targeted for completion by March 2029.
He also said a completely signal-free parallel route to the Western Express Highway was being developed for the benefit of around 60 per cent of Mumbai's commuters.
According to Fadnavis, a journey that currently takes around one-and-a-half hours for the 23-km stretch would be reduced to approximately 15–17 minutes through the proposed tunnel. The project is expected to be completed within the next four years.
