Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (Biada) is all set to begin a special drive aimed at reclaiming its lost plots so that they can be handed over to waiting investors.

A day after industries minister Shyam Rajak said industrialists who have got the Biada plots spread across many industrial areas but have not started their units would face legal action, the agency officials said at least 155 units had flouted norms and they would get back an additional 70-80 acres of plots if the new drive becomes a success.

"Most of these plots are located at industrial areas in other districts and not in Patna, which is a favourite among the investors. The new drive, which is all set to start, is focused on getting those plots back and identifying and initiating action against others too if they are found to be flouting the norms," a Biada official said.

The anomalies included manufacturing different products that what had been registered in the Biada when the plots were allotted to them. Also, there was the issue of the plots left alone and no units set up on them long after the plots had been allotted.

"There must be around 50 units, which are manufacturing different products than what is registered in the Biada. For example, it is illegal if an industrialist gets a Biada plot saying that he wants to manufacture biscuits but he opens a flour mill without prior approval. The product will be considered illegal. The team, which is expected to have four members of the Biada and the industries department, will look for these anomalies and file its report," the official said.

Rajak added that the action against the erring units and industrialists would be severe. "The team has been asked to submit its report after inspections in the next three days and the department will initiate legal steps including lodging of FIRs against such people," he said.

If one looks at the Biada land records, the Patliputra Industrial Area, which comes under the Patna region, has only 1.17 acres of vacant land at present.

The Bihta industrial area, which is again one among the favourites for industrialists, does not have any plots left. Fatuha industrial area has 5.12 acres of vacant land.

In all, the Patna region, which includes areas like Aurangabad, Barauni, Bihar Sharif, Jehanabad among others, has only 54.9 acres of vacant land left. "The same goes with the regions as well. The fact lies that the Biada does not have much land at this moment and we are sitting at applications which are more than 850 in number. We are not being able to provide land for them. Once the report is filed by the team, the process of cancellation of plots allotted to them and giving it to fresh investors will begin," the official added.

As per the regulations, an industrialist having got Biada land, needs to start and show construction work in the plots within six months. The commercial production of the units has to start within two years. If any of the same is not done, Biada slaps three notices to them before initiating the cancellation process. "The problem lies that many of these violators move to the court against the Biada against the cancellation process and the court cases pulls on for long," the official said.