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Jamshedpur : The expansion of the industries in the Adityapur industrial area has got hit severely with nearly Rs 700 crore investments getting hampered so far, in the current fiscal year.
Not one or two but nearly fifty odd projects are hanging fire in the absence of adequate land for the projects to take off on the ground.
The Adityapur Industrial Area Development Authority (AIADA), the principle body overseeing the land acquisition exercise has failed to deliver as far as acquiring land for the industries is concerned.
The industry representatives are crying foul over what they say unprofessional conduct of�AIADA�in realizing the demands of the industry.
�It is not only a matter of investment but the proceeds of the same could have been utilized in transforming the underdeveloped Adityapur into developed zone besides, the government too, had earned handsome revenue,� iterated a senior functionary of Adityapur Small Industries Association (ASIA).�
Facing space crunch, the Adityapur Industrial Area Development Authority, over the years has acquired around 2,200 acre of private land near the Sitarampur dam at the Gamharia end of the existing�AIADA�phase-I. All of the 3,000 acre under�AIADA�phase-I was allotted to around 500 medium and small industrial units. To satisfy its immediate needs, the authority is seeking more land.
However,�AIADA�which would have to put up infrastructure, including roads says it would be able to allot land to industry at comparable prices which it till recently had been doing in phase-I.
According to information more than fifty small and medium scale industries have applied for the land for setting up plants in the last three years period but they are still waiting for their turn to secure the plot. The industry representative�s body further complained that absence of land bank has crippled the prospects further.
In the year 2005 the then Arjun Munda government had mooted the proposal of putting land bank system in place to help facilitate industries acquire land easily.
�On an average twenty to thirty acres of plot is required for the small and medium scale industries to open the plant had there been land bank system in place than at least, few of the projects could have got materialized,� noted K N Choudhary, an industrialist.
Meanwhile,�AIADA�has maintained that process of land acquisition is on the tracks and sooner the plot is available it will be given to the industries on first come first serve basis.
�The process of land acquisition has got accelerated over the months and we shall soon be having sufficient land to make it available to the interested players,� said K D Singh, land development officer,�AIADA.
He also informed that availability of land at relatively cheaper price is the reason behind the increasing number of investors in Adityapur and added that henceforth priority will be given to serious players, only.
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However, sources in the industrial area have confirmed that a section of the investors are holding dialogue with the landowners on one-to-one basis instead of going through�AIADA�channels. �Few of the investors have already made a good progress in holding direct talks with the landowners instead of going through�AIADAchannels,� informed a middle rung official at�AIADA�maintaining anonymity.
It may be noted that the sprawling Adityapur Industrial Area houses 900 units- including 11 large-scale, 64 small scale and 166 tiny industries.
A few important industries that have 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.
