Baddi, Asia’s largest pharma hub, is a sweet dream gone sour

Font Size

Print

Feedback

Email

Discuss

Related Articles

GSK Pharma Q3 profit rises 7%Dr Reddy's Q2 net up 3 fold at Rs 240 crPiramal Healthcare Q2 net up 45 pctRanbaxy hails US court ruling on Valcyte patent

Baddi, Sep 6: he says.

And the state government’s response has been the classic control mindset. To prevent further overloading of the ecosystem in Baddi, it is planning to freeze new industrial establishments. Baldev Thakur, deputy CEO, Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority, says, "Only those industries will be allowed to set up units in Baddi which already have acquired land. But the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industries Association is opposing the move. To decongest Baddi, the state government has acquired 600 bighas for a new industrial area in village Manpura near Baddi. Another land of about 1,800 bighas in Bagheri village near Nalagarh has been identified for attracting fresh investments."

Where on one hand industrialists rue about poor condition of roads, on the other hand, locals complain about absence of good schools, hospitals and recreational facilities.

Vijay K Arora, senior VP (communication, administration & corporate affairs in HP, Vardhman Group says, "We have been present in Baddi since 1991 but have seen no significant development taking place as far as infrastructure and basic facilities are concerned. Even though the internal roads have improved, inter-state connectivity is still inadequate. Absence of proper healthcare facilities and schools make people stay and spend in the adjoining regions of Chandigarh and Panchkula."

And due to ever-expanding migrant labour force in the industrial belt, the area is slowly transforming into an unorganised slum. Thakur says, "The number of migrant labourers is on the rise and since there is no provision for accommodation of the workers in majority of the industrial units they live in slums." To tackle this problem, the Himachal government has approved a housing scheme for migrant labor force with CII as the facilitator. The pilot scheme proposes construction of about 12,000 studio apartments for 24,000 workers which will be developed in 500 clusters of 24 workmen dwellings.