Maruti’s largest plant shows state industry top draw: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar

GURUGRAM: Maruti Suzuki’s decision to set up its third, and its largest, factory in Sonipat shows the state remains the preferred destination for automobile giants, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Thursday as the deal for the new plant was formalised between his government and the carmaker.
“Maruti is equal to Gurgaon and Gurgaon is equal to Haryana. Thus, Maruti is equal to Haryana and that speaks enough about the relationship we share. The fact that Maruti has decided to make such a huge investment to establish its biggest plant here is testimony to the state's potential of attracting investments,” Khattar said, urging Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava to shift their corporate office from New Delhi to Gurgaon to “make the bond stronger”.
Handing over 900 acres of land in Kharkhoda, where an overall investment of Rs 18,000 crore is expected, the CM noted that the location is a strategic one that has seamless connectivity with the IGI airport and the national capital. He said he hoped the plant would do for Kharkhoda what Maruti’s facility in Gurgaon had done for the city.
“There were many options but Kharkhoda was the ideal one because of its location and proximity to the national capital. We have over 3,000 acres of industrial land in Kharkhoda and 900 acres have been taken by Maruti Suzuki for their plant. Additionally, we have allotted around 1,000 acres to other commercial establishments. All these are positive signs, indicating our commitment to boost the state's economy that stands on its strong agricultural capacity and industrial expansion,” Khattar said.
The Kharkhoda investment is a shot in the arm for the state, whose economic engines have been slowed down by the pandemic. Industries have also expressed unhappiness over the 75% job quota for locals, against which some industry bodies have also moved the high court.
Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala said the fact that Maruti went to Gujarat to explore but came back to Haryana to grow showed he government’s policies are favourable for industries. “Maruti and Haryana have a long history. The first plant came up when Tau Devi Lal was chief minister. Another big impetus came when Om Prakash Chautala was CM. And today, history is being scripted when Shri Manohar Lal Khattar ji is the CM. So, it is enough to suggest that you may have chosen to go to Gujarat, but Haryana is the land where you have your roots and will continue to grow,” said Chautala. The government’s steps doing away with over 500 compliances through a single-window system and reforming over 45 laws for ease of business had made the state even more investment-friendly, he added
Arguments against job quota would also now be put to rest, the CM hoped. “Maruti had issues with the draft policy of job reservation. We took their suggestions along with others and made the changes like reducing the income bracket to Rs 30,000. And now the company is setting up the biggest plant here and of the 13,000 jobs, around 10,000 will be given to the locals,” Khattar said.