Trade and industry organisations of the Steel City have decided to launch an agitation against Adityapur Industrial Area Development Authority (AIADA) over the latter’s allegedly faulty policy of land allotment for setting up industrial units.
A joint meeting of Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Adityapur Small Industries Association (ASIA) was organised in this regard. The officials said that they would approach Chief Minister Raghubar Das towards the anomalous policy of the AIADA shortly. The functionaries have said that they will meet the Chief Minister, and if the problem is not resolved, then they would draw strategy for agitation.
The SCCI’s president Suresh Sonthalia said that the AIADA which the statutory body working on behalf of the state industry development has decided that the allotment of land to the entrepreneurs will be made through bidding.
“The traders have been informed that as per the AIADA’s new policy in land allotment, the highest bidder for any particular plot of land will be allotted the land. But as there is already crisis of industrial land, we want that the land allotment should be made keeping in view the viability of the project,” said Sonthalia.
The SCCI president said that instead of holding bidding for allotment, the AIADA should see the viability of the project and study if there is more than one applicant for any particular plot.
Sonthalia pointed out that shortly a joint team of SCCI and ASIA will meet the Chief Minister and demand him for scrapping such policy which not at all in the interest of the healthy growth of industries in Jamshedpur.
According to information about 70 odd projects are hanging fire in the absence of adequate land for the projects to take off on the ground. Meanwhile, Adityapur Small Industries Association’s president SN Thakur said that there are over 1200 industrial units, including medium-scale units exist in Adityapur and Gamharia under the AIADA. He said that several entrepreneurs are forced to look beyond Jharkhand due to lack of availability of plot. Steps should be taken to increase easy availability of land to the industrialists. This will be a great achievement and will prove boon towards development of State of Jharkhand especially Kolhan.
Sources informed that the Adityapur Industrial Area Development Authority of the total 2,923 acre is now looking forward to for its expansion, around 2,076 acres comprising six villages falls in nearby Gamharia while another 226 acres is located a little further away at Seraikela, another piece of around 621 acres of land is at Bahragora adjacent to East Singhbhum. It may be noted that the sprawling Adityapur Industrial Area houses 1200 units- including 11 large-scale, 64 small scale and 166 tiny industries. A few important industries that has global presence are Usha Martin Group, RSB Group, Tata Steel Growth Shop(TGS) etc., too situated in this industrial belt, situated in Seraikela-Kharsawan. There are 20 industries, which export its products to the USA, Australia and other European countries.
“ We are against the move and will try to persuade the Chief Minister Das to withdraw the faulty land allotment process,” Thakur. Meanwhile, the AIADA managing director, Jugal Kishore Chowbey confirmed that they have decided to start bidding system in the land allotment for setting up industrial units. “ Its not our decision but the new system was introduced in the light of a Jharkhand High Court order following the board meeting of AIADA a week ago,” said Chowbey.