Industry sore with UP govt

Industry in Kanpur had welcomed the BSP government in UP in May, especially because after many years a party was able to come to power on its own. It was thought this would enable the government to address the demands of industry.

But now, industry is dismayed. The initial euphoria has given way to weariness. Many have started saying the previous government was better.

"When she became chief minister for the third time, she used to meet industry representatives. Now no discussion takes place. Our letters to various authorities have remained unanswered. But I hope VAT gets implemented," said Tarun Khetrapal, president of the Indian Industries Association, the representative body of small and medium-scale industry.

Manoj Agarwal of Kanpur Plastipack too does not find any change in attitude; for instance, the UP State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC), the infrastructure arm of the state, has had several managing directors, who were given more work than they were supposed to do, and then shifted.

"But in Maharashtra, SICOM, a similar organisation, has sold 30 per cent of its shares for Rs 900 crore. Today we have to make ourselves presentable to attract industry. UP has to shift its focus from Noida to Kanpur," he said.

Naresh Manchanda of PSM is also not optimistic. Small industry is dying, he says. In the Dadanagar and Panki industrial areas, two premier industrial areas of the city, every second or third factory is found closed.

But the government has not bothered to apply itself to these issues. Mohammed Ishaq, chairman of the UP Leather Industries Association, says that over 100 tanneries had been closed on pollution grounds.

"We get power for five to six hours a day and are not linked to any industrial feeder," he said. "Nothing till date has been done, although some movement seems to be taking place after we threatened to move to Bihar," he added.