Author: Arun Kumar
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: February 11, 2004
URL: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_566466,000900030002.htm
The Governor knows it. The Patna
High Court has said it many times. The people witness it every day. The
Bihar government cannot be unaware of it either, though it prefers to look
the other way.
It is one of the state's worst-kept
secrets that the deteriorating law and order situation has forced a large
number of traders to shift their operations out of Bihar over the past
few years.
For example, the once-bustling premises
of the Mithila Motors are today empty. In view of the deteriorating law
and order situation, the proprietor thought it wise to down the shutters.
The latest case is that of Hotel
Republic, which changed hands recently in an operation no one got wind
of. Other hotels in Patna have reportedly gone the same way.
The Poddars, the proprietors of
Ashirwad Polytubes, have shifted their family and business to Bangalore.
The place that once housed Usha Polytubes now has some construction work
going on. Once known as the 'industry king,' Harish Modi of Modi Steel
fame also left the state capital.
There is hardly a segment unaffected
by the 'eviction drive'.
The proprietors of Nirankari Motors,
dealing in spare motor parts, have settled in Ludhiana. They are reportedly
in the process of winding up their business here as is the case with some
big names in the medicine trade.
The number of business establishments
closing down without a protest is endless. And this is not confined to
Patna alone.
Shankar Vastralaya of Gaya, Devi
Prasad Sultania of Araria and the Singhanias of Jamalpur have migrated
to other states when they found it impossible to run their enterprises
in Bihar.
Remarkably, nobody in the business
community is willing to speak on the issue. Needless to say, it is the
fear factor that has silenced them. "I have to frequently visit Delhi,
Mumbai and Gujarat, as most of my clients have shifted to those places,"
said a taxation lawyer. "I could give you a long list of traders fleeing
the state, but I won't as my clients do not want further trouble."
