Lack of basic amenities in industrial sectors big poll issue in Panipat

Missing basic amenities in the industrial zones here have become a big issue in this Assembly election.

Poor cleanliness and drainage systems, non-functional street-lights and broken roads in the industrial sectors have made the industrialists enraged.

The badly affected areas include Sector 25 (part 1, 2), Sector 29 (part 1 and 2), Barsat Road, industries on the Kabri road in the Panipat rural assembly segment and the old industrial area in the Panipat city assembly segment. The industrialists have raised the civic issues on several platforms many times, but to no avail.

The water drainage system is badly choked in Sector 29 (part 2), while the roads in Sector 25 are in a deplorable condition for the past many years.

Vinod Dhamija, Chairman, Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Panipat chapter, said all industrial areas in the textile city were in a poor condition. In the old industrial area, the government had spent Rs 19 crore on the construction of roads and nullah for the drainage of water through the HSIIDC. But the work was totally unsatisfactory. Roads have been constructed, but both sides were not developed.

Apart from this, around 35 street-lights have been installed in the sector, but all went defunct within some days, he said. The industrial area gets waterlogged in only 10-minute rain, Dhamija said.

All these issues were raised with the then MP Sanjay Bhatia and MLA Pramod Vij several times, he said.

Panipat is an industrial hub and is known as “Textile City”. It has a turnover of more than Rs 60,000 crore, including the export turnover of over Rs 15,000 crore.

“We industrialists pay taxes and all duties. Textile is the biggest industrial sector which provides maximum jobs, but the industrial sectors are without basic amenities,” Dhamija said.

We have been raising our issues with the candidates of all parties, who assure to provide us the basic infrastructure or facilities, Dhamija maintained.

Nitin Arora, president, Panipat Dyers Association, Sector 29 (part-2), said the dyeing sector was developed with 779 plots in 2003 by the HSVP. But, the sector lacked the basic amenities since its establishment, he alleged.

The main issue is that our sector has been divided into three departments — HSIIDC, HSVP and Municipal Corporation. Due to this, the industrialists have to go from one office to another for their works, which was a big harassment, he said.

Apart from this zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and common boiler were also two big demands of the Panipat industries, he said.

We have been raising all these issues with the elected MLAs and MPs regularly and now again are discussing these issues with the candidates of all parties, he said. Lalit Goyal, president, Panipat Exporters’Association, said the issues would be discussed after the formation of the government.