More proposals for industrial units that had failed to take off would be de-listed soon.

Three months after the industries department “de-listed” 33 units, which had got approvals from the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) in 2006 but never set up their industries, senior officials said the process had started again and the SIPB approvals were being scanned.

Though the department did not mention the number of approvals which would be added to the list, sources told The Telegraph that there were a lot of units which did not take any initiative towards setting up of industries even after the SIPB approvals.

“The last de-listing was done in February this year. But the process for the same was on before that. The State Investment Promotion Board approvals had started since 2006 and are continuing even now. The State Investment Promotion Board approval list of 2006 was scanned and the units that had taken no step towards investing in the state were contacted and a time window of around three months was given to them to take steps towards investment. It is only after three months that they were de-listed. The proposals were removed from the State Investment Promotion Board approval list and cancelled accordingly. Now, the department is entering the phase-II of the plan,” Shailesh Thakur, the industries department director said today.

The officials said that the three months’ time (from February to May) had been provided for the State Investment Promotion Board approvals for 2007.

“Though the exact number cannot be said for now as the checks are going on, the department is scanning all approvals for 2007. Those in the approval list who have not taken any step further towards investing have been contacted and a timeframe has already been given to them. If they do not, such units will see their names getting deleted from the list,” the official added.

On paper, it has been stated many a time that the total investments in the state is to the tune of nothing less than Rs 3 lakh crore.

But the fact is that more than 60 per cent of these proposals are either in a nascent stage or about to start or not yet started or even no interest taken to set them up.

Late last year, the department had floated an e-mail address (idc_bihar@yahoo.co.in) and had asked all the investors whose projects had been approved by the board to come up and contact the state government and give a real-time status of their projects.

There were quite a few investors who turned up but there were many too who did not.

“They have been given ample time to revert to the department. If the de-listed units come up now and express interest in setting up of their units in the state, they will have to re-apply for the State Investment Promotion Board approval again. This time however, the department and the board will scan their projects and will approve only if they have solid plans towards setting up of their units in the state,” Thakur said.