Industrialists and traders have expressed surprise at the high praise a national survey has given to Jharkhand industrial hubs that are known to suffer from several infrastructure lacunae.
Reactions of industrialists from Ranchi, Dhanbad and Bokaro ranged from frank disbelief to more muted dissent when asked to comment on the Industrial Park Rating System (IPRS) 2017-18 report of the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) released by commerce minister Suresh Prabhu in Delhi on Monday.
Power and water crunch topped the gripes list, belying the rosy ratings given to the state’s industrial parks in Tatisilwai (Ranchi), Kandra (Dhanbad) and Balidih (Bokaro). In all, 177 industrial parks in 21 states were rated on four parameters, internal and external infrastructure, business support services and environment and safety.
Ranking fifth in infrastructure was Tatisilwai Industrial Area, some 18km from the capital. Expressing “surprise”, Ranchi industrialist and Federation of Jharkhand Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) president Deepak Kumar Maroo wondered if the surveyors had actually gone to the site or “relied on what industry mandarins told them, without stepping out of the comfort of their hotel rooms”.
Asked why, he said, “Speaking of infrastructure, power cuts are frequent here. Waterlogging is a persistent issue during rainy season. And whatever clearing of garbage happens is done on an individual level by the industries.”
Ravindra Kumar Tibrewal, who owns a laundry equipment manufacturing unit in Tatisilwai, added they really wanted the industry department to address the water-logging issue.
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In Dhanbad, where Kandra Industrial Area in Govindpur was nationally ranked first in business support services, general secretary of Jharkhand Industries and Trade Association Rajiv Sharma, initially said he was happy with the ranking. “True, things like underground cabling, high mast lights, street lights are a reality at Kandra now,” he said.
Prodded a little, Sharma, who owns an electrical equipment unit there, said, “Power continues to be a big crisis, more so now with the DVC crying hoarse about huge pending power dues. This unresolved issue with Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam has worsened the situation.”
He added they also faced the problem of uneven water supply or water rich in iron.
Asked about Balidih Industrial Area’s second slot in external infrastructure and connectivity and environment safety, president of Bokaro Chamber of Commerce Rajendra Vishwarkarma agreed that its location, less than 16km on NH-32, was a big advantage.
“But 24/7 power supply, which is the primary requirement for industries, is yet to be addressed. Daily, there are intermittent power cuts up to 10 hours. Water scarcity is also an issue,” he said.
The only unblemished seal of approval came from an industrialist in Adityapur, one of Jharkhand’s biggest business hubs, which however was not ranked in the report. Santosh Khetan, general secretary Adityapur Small Industries Association, while giving the ratings a glowing review, said, “The report underscores the government’s effort to improve infrastructure in industrial parks.”
