Industrial units in Loni’s Tronica City face massive losses after flood submerges area

A survey was carried out by four teams, focusing on evaluating damage to stocks, machinery, equipment, and buildings, officials said, adding that a report detailing the losses will be submitted to the state government within the next few days

Around 450-500 industrial units in Tronica City, Loni incurred substantial losses in the wake of a recent flood caused by a breach in the Yamuna river embankment, officials of the district industries department said on Thursday. The breach, which occurred approximately a fortnight ago, has left factory owners struggling to cope with the aftermath.

The breachi in the Alipur embankment, which occurred approximately a fortnight ago, has left factory owners struggling to cope with the aftermath (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Tronica City’s industrial area, developed by the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA), encompasses around 2,300 units sprawled across 1,700 acres.

Officials from the district industries department conducted a physical survey of the Tronica City industrial area to assess the extent of the losses. The survey was carried out by four teams, focusing on evaluating damage to stocks, machinery, equipment, and buildings, officials said, adding that a report detailing the losses will be submitted to the state government within the next few days.

The directions for the loss assessment were given by Mayur Maheshwari, CEO of UPSIDA, during his visit to Tronica City on July 17.

Srinath Paswan, the deputy commissioner of the Ghaziabad district industry department, said, “Based on our estimates, about 450-500 units in the industrial area have suffered losses. We are currently preparing the report, which will aid the government in determining compensation for the affected factory owners. The final figure of losses will be ascertained once all the reports are compiled.”

The flood resulted from the second breach of the Alipur embankment on July 13, inundating neighboring villages, localities, and the Tronica City industrial area. According to initial estimates, approximately 10,000 people were affected by the flooding.

RC Malik, who owns an electrical capacitor manufacturing unit in the area, said, “The finished stock in the basement was completely damaged due to water, amounting to a minimum loss of ₹80-90 lakh or even more. We are still working to dry out the basement.”

“As a modular-furniture unit owner, I am still assessing the exact loss. Work has not resumed since the flood, and my unit has suffered damage to stock and machinery. Although electricity has been restored, stagnant water remains in some parts of the roads,” said Brijpal Sharma, another factory owner.

The Indian Industries Association (IIA) officials said that stagnant water persists in low-lying areas of Tronica City, estimating the collective losses suffered by unit owners to be around ₹400-500 crore.

Rakesh Aneja, the chairman of IIA’s Ghaziabad chapter, said that the government should expedite the compensation process. “The unit owners are grappling not only with material damages but also with unfulfilled orders, loss of customers, and regular operating expenses. Many units have yet to resume operations due to severe damage to machinery, stocks, and raw materials,” he said.

The Alipur embankment breach was repaired on July 15, but it had already affected about 1000 hectares of agricultural land. Officials plan to assess the losses to farmers and damage to houses once the water level recedes further.

Hari Pratap Singh, tehsildar of Loni, said that the district urban development authority officials have been asked to make assessments to provide relief and compensation to affected households and farmers. “The water has receded considerably from the localities and the industrial area but the agriculture activity on the Yamuna floodplain is still submerged. Once the water level comes down, the assessment will begin,” he said.