Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday confirmed that Foxconn Technology Group, which manufactures iPhones for Apple Inc., had inked a land deal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust’s (JNPT) special economic zone.
The Taiwan-based manufacturer will set up a mobile manufacturing plant on a 13-acre land of the JNPT as the Maharashtra government was unable to provide additional land, Mr. Fadnavis said. “They are moving to the JNPT special economic zone to set up a mobile manufacturing plant. The deal is final. There were issues with the land we were providing them,” said Mr Fadnavis.
Foxconn had signed an agreement as part of the Make in India week in Maharashtra to set up an electronic manufacturing plant at an investment of $5 billion over the next five years. However, the MIDC said that the government was able to lease only two sheds on the plot of land in Turbhe promised to the group.
“While the area of land was over 2 lakh square feet, the company wanted more,” said an official. The firm has been looking for large tracts of land in Maharashtra and were offered options in Vidarbha and Marathwada as part of the deal. Mr Fadnavis said the land had issues and could not be provided to the firm.
The firm then forwarded a proposal to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari seeking at least 13 acres of land at the SEZ. Mr. Gadkari spoke to Mr. Fadnavis about the land requirement and jointly approved the move.
