Functionaries of the Adityapur Small Industries Association (ASIA) held an executive committee meeting at the industry body’s office in Gamharia in the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district on Friday morning to discuss the trade implications of the recent Sino-Indian border clashes.

The entrepreneurs apprehended an impact in industrial activities here in the face of an imminent severance of economic ties with China.

However they claimed it was a golden opportunity to make the nation self-dependent, by evolving means of manufacturing every item that is imported from China.

The entrepreneurs unanimously resolved that pride for the nation and its sovereignty were supreme. No Chinese goods would be imported and would be manufactured here instead.

They said any sophisticated part imported from China would subsequently be imported from any other developed country even if it proves costlier.

Inder Kumar Agrawal, the president of ASIA, told The Telegraph Online on Friday, “The entrepreneurs were very prompt in resolving to make the country self-dependent. We are quite capable of manufacturing goods. But we need the support of the Centre and the state government, the technological knowhow and support from the banking sector.”

He added that a delegation of entrepreneurs met the Jharkhand state industry secretary, Pravin Toppo, in Ranchi on Thursday.

They sought the government’s support in revamping the Adityapur industrial estate, the largest industrial area in Asia, to emerge as an export-oriented technological hub.

Sureshnarayan Thakur, the managing director, Adityapur Auto Cluster, which works as a catalyst for the development of industrial infrastructure facilities, said the central and state governments should give special attention to the industrial estates to make the country self-dependent.

“The entrepreneurs operating here at the Adityapur industrial area have the potential to produce even better products than China. This is the right time to transform our industrial activities into export-oriented ones. Both the Centre and the state government should extend support to the industrialists,” Thakur said

Adityapur industrial area has over 1,200 industrial units, most of them ancillary units of automobile giant Tata Motors Ltd.

Sources said production of truck and bus chassis in the Tata Motors’ plant in Telco is likely to be affected by the clashes.

“Tata Motors imports a certain part from China to manufacture engines for the truck or bus chassis. Although the automobile giant has started manufacturing a major portion of the engine parts in its sister concern Tata Cummins, a very important part is still imported from China. Escalating tension between the two neighbours is likely to make the smooth import of the part in question complicated,” said an entrepreneur.