Potholes, lack of security, main concerns in Industrial estates
Updated: Jul 26, 2013 04:56:52pm
From Swati Dayal
New Delhi, Jul 26 (KNN) Industrial estates across different states are in a sorry state of affairs in terms of maintenance of roads, law and order and other civic amenities.
Poor maintenance in otherwise planned industrial estates has been a matter of concern, more so for the small industries which unlike large industries cannot spend much on security and infrastructure themselves.
As the report of the working group on MSMEs growth for 12th Five Year Plan said, maintenance of Industrial Estates (mainly maintenance of roads, drainage, sewage, power distribution and captive power generation, water supply, dormitories for workers, common effluent treatment plants, common facilities, security, etc.) is a critical component for successful functioning of the industrial enterprises in any industrial estate/ industrial area.
Industrial estates are generally developed by state industrial development bodies (e.g. HSIDC in Haryana, RIICO in Rajasthan).
It may be appropriate to handover maintenance of Industrial Estates to industries associations, local bodies, state government agencies, SPVs on self-sustaining basis, the report suggested.
KNN spoke to industry associations in Delhi, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Haryana and learnt that poor maintenance was the biggest problem in these areas.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit herself has admitted that industrial areas in the national capital are in bad shape and need makeovers.
Interacting with Delhi industrialists, under the aegis of PHD chamber of commerce she said there was a multiplicity of authorities. The fact that Delhi is not a full state like its neighbours Haryana and Uttar Pradesh is also a limiting factor.
Besides poor maintenance, inadequate number of planned industrial estates has led to unplanned industrial areas that come up near the residential areas. While heavy vehicles carrying goods for industries damage the roads, rainy season is a nightmare both for residents and industries as the rains leave the roads with potholes and the drains in a bad state of disrepair.
“The rainy season creates a lot of trouble for us as the roads are badly damaged,” said Anil Shivdasani from the Maa Mahamaya Steel Ltd in Bilaspur. Maa Mahaya steel factory is located in the Sargiti Industrial Area under Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC).
“There is improper maintenance. In rainy seasons, the roads are so bad that both private vehicles as well as vehicles carrying goods are unable to move,” he added.
Residents living in nearby sectors are also affected as they have to commute through roads passing through the industrial areas.
Further, “There is lack of co-ordination between the industrial development corporations and the other departments. For example, after the roads are repaired and the pot holes are filled by one department, the workers from the public work department, MCD or electricity, water or telephone departments dig the roads all over again in the national capital to put the cables etc. So, this is an example of lack of co-ordination between different departments,” said a resident near the Okhla industrial area in the national capital.
It is not only the bad infrastructure that concerns the workers and the residents, but it is also the threat of safety and security which is a matter of worry, particularly for women employees in the industrial estates.
“There is no maintenance in most of the industrial areas, be it Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) or Haryana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC). Particularly, in Wazirpur Industrial Area in Delhi, roads are in a poor condition. Drain water, sewage water comes onto the roads and we have to jump across the puddles. There is an absence of security and police arrangements here,” said Secretary General, All India Plastics Industries Association, P P Tuteja.
“In Narela, while DSIIDC is doing a good job in terms of infrastructure, security is bad. Even the police do not want to come here,” Tuteja said, adding because of lack of security, payments to workers are not made on regular salary days.
Though Delhi has the highest crime rate in the country, the situation down south is no better in terms of security of women.
“Many of the industrial areas under Karnataka State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) have bad roads and infrastructure. There is severe water and drainage problem here. Dirty water often overflows onto the roads, making them unapproachable. It is difficult to walk on the roads,” said Chairperson, District Activities of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE), Priya Vandana Puranik.
“One of the serious issues concerns the security of women. Female entrepreneurs like me can’t attend a late evening meeting because of security reasons. Also, due to bad roads and poor lighting, the area is deserted in the evening. We have been requesting societies to include female members in their association so they would address gender concerns. When we are paying Rs 2500 as service charge per year, why don’t they bother about security,” she lamented.
However, the situation is somewhat better in West Bengal.
“Small industries are scattered, they come up near the large industries or near residential areas. In West Bengal there are two types of societies for maintenance, one is under the West Bengal State Industrial Development Corporation and the other is a privately owned cluster of small industries. While their work is good in some places, the same cannot be said for all,” said Vice President of Federation of small and medium industries in West Bengal, Gautam Ray. (KNN)
Feedback: newsdesk@knnindia.co.in
New Delhi, Jul 26 (KNN) Industrial estates across different states are in a sorry state of affairs in terms of maintenance of roads, law and order and other civic amenities.
Poor maintenance in otherwise planned industrial estates has been a matter of concern, more so for the small industries which unlike large industries cannot spend much on security and infrastructure themselves.
As the report of the working group on MSMEs growth for 12th Five Year Plan said, maintenance of Industrial Estates (mainly maintenance of roads, drainage, sewage, power distribution and captive power generation, water supply, dormitories for workers, common effluent treatment plants, common facilities, security, etc.) is a critical component for successful functioning of the industrial enterprises in any industrial estate/ industrial area.
Industrial estates are generally developed by state industrial development bodies (e.g. HSIDC in Haryana, RIICO in Rajasthan).
It may be appropriate to handover maintenance of Industrial Estates to industries associations, local bodies, state government agencies, SPVs on self-sustaining basis, the report suggested.
KNN spoke to industry associations in Delhi, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Haryana and learnt that poor maintenance was the biggest problem in these areas.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit herself has admitted that industrial areas in the national capital are in bad shape and need makeovers.
Interacting with Delhi industrialists, under the aegis of PHD chamber of commerce she said there was a multiplicity of authorities. The fact that Delhi is not a full state like its neighbours Haryana and Uttar Pradesh is also a limiting factor.
Besides poor maintenance, inadequate number of planned industrial estates has led to unplanned industrial areas that come up near the residential areas. While heavy vehicles carrying goods for industries damage the roads, rainy season is a nightmare both for residents and industries as the rains leave the roads with potholes and the drains in a bad state of disrepair.
“The rainy season creates a lot of trouble for us as the roads are badly damaged,” said Anil Shivdasani from the Maa Mahamaya Steel Ltd in Bilaspur. Maa Mahaya steel factory is located in the Sargiti Industrial Area under Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC).
“There is improper maintenance. In rainy seasons, the roads are so bad that both private vehicles as well as vehicles carrying goods are unable to move,” he added.
Residents living in nearby sectors are also affected as they have to commute through roads passing through the industrial areas.
Further, “There is lack of co-ordination between the industrial development corporations and the other departments. For example, after the roads are repaired and the pot holes are filled by one department, the workers from the public work department, MCD or electricity, water or telephone departments dig the roads all over again in the national capital to put the cables etc. So, this is an example of lack of co-ordination between different departments,” said a resident near the Okhla industrial area in the national capital.
It is not only the bad infrastructure that concerns the workers and the residents, but it is also the threat of safety and security which is a matter of worry, particularly for women employees in the industrial estates.
“There is no maintenance in most of the industrial areas, be it Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) or Haryana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC). Particularly, in Wazirpur Industrial Area in Delhi, roads are in a poor condition. Drain water, sewage water comes onto the roads and we have to jump across the puddles. There is an absence of security and police arrangements here,” said Secretary General, All India Plastics Industries Association, P P Tuteja.
“In Narela, while DSIIDC is doing a good job in terms of infrastructure, security is bad. Even the police do not want to come here,” Tuteja said, adding because of lack of security, payments to workers are not made on regular salary days.
Though Delhi has the highest crime rate in the country, the situation down south is no better in terms of security of women.
“Many of the industrial areas under Karnataka State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) have bad roads and infrastructure. There is severe water and drainage problem here. Dirty water often overflows onto the roads, making them unapproachable. It is difficult to walk on the roads,” said Chairperson, District Activities of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE), Priya Vandana Puranik.
“One of the serious issues concerns the security of women. Female entrepreneurs like me can’t attend a late evening meeting because of security reasons. Also, due to bad roads and poor lighting, the area is deserted in the evening. We have been requesting societies to include female members in their association so they would address gender concerns. When we are paying Rs 2500 as service charge per year, why don’t they bother about security,” she lamented.
However, the situation is somewhat better in West Bengal.
“Small industries are scattered, they come up near the large industries or near residential areas. In West Bengal there are two types of societies for maintenance, one is under the West Bengal State Industrial Development Corporation and the other is a privately owned cluster of small industries. While their work is good in some places, the same cannot be said for all,” said Vice President of Federation of small and medium industries in West Bengal, Gautam Ray. (KNN)
Feedback: newsdesk@knnindia.co.in
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