Why an industrial hub in Himachal Pradesh hasn’t lived up to expectations, and how NDA 2.0 can set things right
Shailesh Aggarwal recalls a rather “embarrassing” meeting with Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari this April. It was a month before the general elections, and Aggarwal was in Gadkari’s Delhi office to discuss a poll issue in his homestate Himachal Pradesh.
Representing an association of businesspeople in the BaddiBarotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) region— the state’s largest industrial township, located in the Solan district—Aggarwal requested Gadkari to fast-track the four-laning of the Pinjore-Nalagarh stretch of the National Highway 21A. The minister, in 2017, had laid the foundation stone for the project that was meant to improve connectivity to and from the BBN region, but it has been in limbo since.
What has made matters worse is the fact that the industrial belt—it has over 2,000 factories, including some of India’s biggest pharmaceutical and consumer companies—does not have a fully functioning railway network. The rail project connecting Baddi with Pinjore, approved by the central government in 2017, has come to a standstill.
Gadkari, however, simply blamed the Himachal Pradesh government for the delays. The National Highway Authority of India officials were not agreeing to the high compensation rate for land acquisition that the HP government (reportedly around 9 crore per hectare) has fixed for the four-laning project. “He [Gadkari] asked me to first check what my state government is doing about this,” Aggarwal recalls. The state government, on the other hand, claims they are helpless as the Centre is not being more proactive with the project.
Denne historien er fra July 5, 2019-utgaven av Forbes India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 5, 2019-utgaven av Forbes India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued
The pandemic has also brought with it an improved focus on hygiene, use of technology in dining, rise of cloud kitchens and resurgence in popularity of Indian ingredients
Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years
As of 2020, Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s super app for financial services had run up losses in thousands of crores. Now, as digital payments gets yet another boost courtesy Covid-19, he’s hopeful of reaching near breakeven in two years
THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN
Covid-19 has shown that women are more likely to face the brunt of job losses than men, and find fewer opportunities when they want to resume. That apart, several have to deal with increased hours of unpaid work at home and even domestic abuse
LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
Leaders must not only guard their teams first during a crisis, but also deal with stakeholders with respect and dignity. And apart from pursuing business goals, they should remain committed to our planet and the environment
PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST
Apart from building a flexible and resilient framework for the future, philanthropists, civil society and the government must work in tandem so that every rupee is absorbed on the ground
INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR
While clinical research will get a boost, having a skilled workforce and public spending on health care will be challenges in the near term
DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION
As the pandemic brings technology and innovation to the core of business and daily life, the next decade will see about 150 million digital-first families in India
Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?
Augmenting sustainability alongside digital capabilities is an economic, competitive and global opportunity for India’s businesses, but regulations need to reflect intent
EV Dream Still Miles Away
Electric vehicles have remained a buzzword in India for years. But not much has moved on ground due to high upfront costs, range anxiety and charging infrastructure
Living Waters
A virus has caused us to scramble for oxygen but our chokehold on the environment is slowly strangling the very waters that breathe life into us. The virus is a timely reminder: We are merely consumers, not producers of life’s breath on this planet
