Bhagalpur, May 14: Following the footsteps of health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey, three local legislators lambasted the bureaucrats and held them responsible for the problems plaguing the industrial sector.
Speaking at a seminar organised by Eastern Bihar Industries Association (EBIA) on the “Possibilities of industrial growth and the problems being faced by the sector”, BJP MLA from Pirpainty Aman Kumar Paswan, Sultanganj’s JD(U) MLA Subodh Roy and Congress MLA from Kahalgaon Sadanand Singh lambasted bureaucrats for their alleged high-handedness and held them responsible for problems plaguing the infrastructure development in the state.
Paswan alleged that officials were not interested in taking suggestions from public representatives. “The diara lands here are ideal for the proposed mega food park but the farmers here are virtually starving owing to the apathy of the government,” he said.
Roy, too, came down heavily on the government. “I am not convinced with the government’s style of working. The crime graph has risen sharply. Because of the high-handedness of the bureaucrats, the industrial scenario has become grim,” he said.
Most speakers were vocal against the government officials and criticised their style of functioning, particular their ignorance on the miseries of the people. Singh targeted the state government and alleged that the government does not have any interest for the industrial development. “In the past, I informed deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi about the pending projects. He did not give any response. The state has not been able to generate adequate electricity and how can one expect industrial development?” he said. According to him, industries like Star Cement have started winding up from industrial areas of Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (Biada) land at Kahalgaon because of failure of the administration, which failed to provide land.
It was resolved that during the chief minister’s proposed Seva Yatra visit on May 31-June 2, a delegation comprising entrepreneurs and local public representatives would apprise him of pending projects like mega food park, textile park and proposed industrial area under Biada at Kahalgaon and others.
Eastern Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ram Gopal Poddar pointed out infrastructure bottleneck as the main hurdle. EBIA president Mukutdhari Agarwal said the government should initiate industrial growth. “Bhagalpur and its surrounding areas produce record quantity of maize but farmers do not get additional remuneration for it. Had the mega food park been here, the tillers would not have been deprived,” he said.
On April 30, Choubey had lambasted local officials for conspiracy to disrupt Swasthya Mahakumbha — a mega health camp for underprivileged. Members of local unit of Bihar state administrative services and Opposition parties like the RJD opposed Choubey’s criticism. A bandh was also called by political parties on May 10 in protest against Choubey’s remarks.
