Illegal units raise safety fears in industrial area

JAIPUR: The huge fire that burnt to ashes a chemical factory at Akhepura near Vishwakarma Industrial Area (VKI) may have been contained from spreading to adjoining highly inflammable industrial units, but safety and security at the unauthorized industrial area remain a big concern.
About 600 industrial units have sprouted around VKI over the years. Officials in the industry department say that many of them are illegal as most of them do not have land conversion approval.

“About 80% of them don’t have their land converted for industrial use even though these companies are registered entities. Any factory that operates in an industrial zone is subject to norms and guidelines. Also there is proper infrastructure in the industrial zones that provides safety and security which is not the case when it comes to these small illegal units that have cropped up around VKI,” said a top official of the industry department.

These units have mushroomed in localities around VKI like Akhepura, Jaisalya and Manu Vihar. In Akhepura, the construction of new factories is underway in a big way. There are no proper approach roads and facilities roughly measuring around 600 sq m are used for a variety of purposes. The chemical factory that was consumed by fire has a wood unit in the back and an oil packaging set-up on its left side.

“Akhepura was a low-lying area and water used to get collected here during the rains. The land belonged to the government. But people have taken over the land by getting ‘pattas’ by hook or crook. Today, land prices here command around Rs 10,000 per sq m,” said a person running a warehouse in a rented unit.

The basic structure of these facilities is that of industrial sheds which require minimum investment. The warehouse owner said that people were waiting for the area to get regularized for land prices to go up.

When TOI spoke to state industries minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat about the companies operating illegally, he said the land use issue comes under the purview of the urban development and housing department. “If these units are operating from areas not designated for industrial use, then the UDH should look into it. The industry department has no say in it,” said Shekhawat.

However, there is an expectation that the government needs to approve these areas as industrial zones so that the development of infrastructure and monitoring of safety and security would be in place.

“Hundreds of people are working in these areas. People have invested a lot of money in these units. If the government regularizes them, it will only add impetus to industrialization in the city. Also, improved facilities and infrastructure will create more jobs,” said Jagdish Somani, president of VKI Association.

Moreover, in the absence of oversight and monitoring, these units may get encouraged to enter into activities that are in the red category. Industrial effluent has been a big issue for companies downsizing their activities in the VKI which has around 2,000 units. There is fear that some businesses may outsource their processes which deals with hazardous chemicals and matter.