Surat: A number of textile units from Surat and South Gujarat are relocating to Navapur and Nandurbar in neighboring State Maharashtra due to cheaper electricity costs. According to insiders in the textile industry, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC)’s Navapur industrial township has 130 textile factories owned by Surat-based industrialists. Over two dozen more industrialists are set to move to Navapur, which is located just 100 km from Surat. Another option is the Bhaler MIDC in Nandurbar, located 60 km from Navapur.

While Surat faces an electricity rate of ₹8.50 per unit, the rate in Maharashtra is between ₹3 and ₹5.50, thanks to subsidies from the Maharashtra government. Additionally, plot prices in Navapur are cheaper compared to Surat, and taxes are also lower in Maharashtra. After the previous textile policy of Gujarat expired in December last year, Gujarat-based industrialists brought attention to Maharashtra’s textile policy. However, the Gujarat government announced a new textile policy just yesterday, after a 10-month delay. The Gujarat government has not yet uploaded the full draft of the new policy on its website, only publishing a brochure on the Indextb website.DeshGujarat