The industries department has just one word to spare for investors facing land hassles in Bihar — unfortunate.

The state has no action plan to bail investors out of the bitter land deals they often find themselves in. While land remains the biggest problem for investors willing to put money in the state, even plots leased out by the state government are not safe.

What is more alarming is the fact that the state government passes the buck on to several departments, washing its hands of any responsibility for investors’woes.

An example is the UB Group’s fight against farmers who are not ready to part with land despite a court order.

The Vijay Mallya-owned company is facing harassment since 2011 despite Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (Biada) handing over a 42-acre plot to UB Group for a Rs 200-crore beer factory.

Senior Biada official now say that nothing much can be done in the case. Biada managing director Deepak Kumar Singh said the farmers’ ongoing protest against construction of the brewery was “unfortunate”.

“The farmers had filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the Patna High Court judgment. It, too, has been dismissed. Even then, if the landowners are protesting and creating problems for the company, it is unfortunate. We have approached the district administration as well as the home department requesting them to control any untoward incidents. The hassles created by the landowners is wrong,” the senior Biada official said.

He said that in such cases, Biada or the industries department has very little choice left. “We cannot do anything. In problems like these, the industries department contacts the home department and the administration of the respective district, asking them to provide security. Other than this, nothing more can be done. In the case of UB Group, the court’s judgment is in their favour. The restraint shown by the landowners is illegal,” Singh said.

On the other hand, industries minister Renu Kumari said she had no idea about the fresh problems. “I am in Delhi right now. I don’t have a clue regarding this problem. My department officials must be handling the issue,” she said.

Sources in the industries department said lack of a bailout policy has given rise to all such problems.

“It is a fact that investors are getting stuck in land hassles. The UB Group case proves that even land leased out to investors by Biada is not safe. At present, the department doesn’t have a plan to help them out. Most of these problems are related to law and order and hence the departments concerned are contacted,” an industries department official said.

Amid all this, industrialists feel that the state government’s attitude is dangerous.

“The government has been talking about policies that would help set up private industrial parks. But how would this government do that? Getting land from farmers is a major problem in Bihar. Since land given by Biada, too, faces acquisition problems everything here is dicey. The government should act in a strict manner. With this attitude, it is clear that the state government is not serious about industries or investment,” said S.K. Sinha, a Patna-based industrialist.