PUNE: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said a team of ministers will be formed in three days to look into the issue of issuing permission for ethanol generation to sugar mills, which had complained of delay in the process. 

He was speaking at the annual sugar conference here in the city. He said one-window system will be set up for such permissions. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Cooperatives Minister Subhash Deshmukh and other dignitaries were present.

“We must understand the economics of sugar production. While there is surplus in sugar production, there is less demand and so we cannot rely on sugar production for profits. There is need to produce ethanol. Under the agenda of  ‘Ease of doing business’ we will see to it that the government clearances for ethanol production takes less time,” added Fadnavis.Pawar  said sugar mills ought to introspect. “Some mills are spending too much on production of sugar. Hence there is a need to think about the production cost for the industry to flourish,” added Pawar.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “If we have to survive we must think of producing ethanol, biogas, bio-diesel and other alternatives.”