One of the largest and oldest industry associations of the State, Adityapur Small Industries Association ( ASIA), is all set to go to polls on August 7. The biennial elections will take place for the post of president as for all the other posts of office-bearers the candidates have been elected unopposed. It is to be known that the current committee of Asia has 1200 members, which has close to 700 voters. Adityapur also has organizations like Small Industries Association of Entrepreneurs and Small Industries Bharti, but no one has so many members. ASIA has a tradition of holding elections by secret ballot. Two prominent candidates Santosh Khaitan and Rajiv Ranjan are in head to head fight. Both of them are currently vice-presidents of leading industry outfit. They are in contest for the prestigious post of the president currently held by industrialist Inder Agarwal. In all there are eleven posts of office bearers — four secretaries, four vice-presidents, a general secretary, a treasurer and the president.
The elections will take place through a secret ballot. In all there are about 700 bonafied members comprising industrialists and entrepreneurs, who take part in the biennial polls. The two year term of the present committee led by Inder Agarwal ended in July.
Several of the small and medium enterprises based at Adityapur industrial area, Asia’s leading industrial hub, that are on the expansion mode are forced to flee the state in the wake of indifferent attitude of the state government towards the SMEs. Several of them are now pinning hopes on a new committee.
“Land is the crucial aspect of any expansion plan and if the government doesn’t pay attention on time then there is hardly any reason for the entrepreneurs to stay for long,” noted a senior member.
For long the industrialists have been seeking cooperation from the state government in addressing their grievances particularly on specific issues of land, electricity, water and road.