Locals rue lack of job opportunities in BBN area

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, October 27

Lack of employment opportunities for the residents of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) in this industrial belt is emerging as a key issue for the Assembly polls.

In the absence of adequate jobs in the public sector, residents hope to secure jobs in the industries set up in this bordering industrial belt. There were about 1800 industrial units in this belt which manufacture drugs, iron and steel, textiles, chemicals, automobiles, shoes, cosmetics, food products, engineering goods, etc.

An industrial revolution was witnessed after the NDA-led Central Government had granted a package providing a 10-year tax holiday in 2003. This was, however, curtailed to seven years by the Congress-led UPA government. This severally hit the pace of industrialisation. Several industrial houses have either closed their operations or scaled down their production activities in the last five years. Several employees have lost their jobs in this exercise. Little has been done by the government to safeguard their interest.

“Though locals had given away their fertile land for the construction of industrial houses, when it comes to employment opportunities we are not accommodated,” rued Lalit, a local youth.

He added that even if a local manages to secure a job after putting in some effort, the managements behave indifferently and this deters one from continuing in a job. Kin of politicians and bureaucrats do manage to get plum jobs as this promises a tactic immunity to the managements, he said.

“The managements of industrial houses avoid entertaining the locals as they feel they will create problems like being part of trade unions and exert pressure on the managements,” informed a human resource official of an industrial unit.

This has created an unsavoury situation for qualified youth. They are forced to turn to other states to look for an opening. “Though the state industrial policy mandates grant of at least 70 per cent jobs for the locals, in the absence of any check on this policy a majority of the industrial houses fail to adhere to it,” rued Rakesh, another local.

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