The industries department official said: “Hajipur, the district headquarters of Vaishali, has two industrial areas but there is lack of space. According to the figures with the Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority, less than an acre of land is available in both the industrial areas. In such a scenario, Vaishali Industrial Park Private Limited will definitely attract investors. The same can be said about the Mokama private industrial area, which is just at a distance of around 100km from Patna.”

Some industrialists welcomed the clearance to the proposals for the private industrial areas.

P.K. Agarwal, the president of Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industries, told The Telegraph: “The state needs land for industries. Against this backdrop, if approvals are being given to the proposals for private industrial areas, it is a welcome step. It will give a boost to the industrialisation process of the state.”

Few players in the industries sector were still sceptical. “The State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) approvals have come in abundance always. But a majority of industries approved did not materialise. The ‘Aao Bihar’ and ‘Exit Policy’ (schemes for getting industrial land) were flops. Until entrepreneurs approach and a deal is sealed with the SPV, it will remain a wait and watch game,” an industrialist told The Telegraph.

The state government had come up with the private industrial area policy in August last year in a bid to facilitate land for the interested entrepreneurs. Unavailability of industrial land has been a big problem for the state.

“The Bihar State Industrial Area Development Authority has stopped fresh land allotments after October 31 last year. After the other policies introduced to get land came to a naught, private industrial areas are the only hope. It is encouraging SIPB has cleared two proposals,” an official of the industries department said.