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From Uttam Pradesh to Rogue State
Corruption and red-tapism have made industrialists wary of setting up ventures in UP, writes Rajeev Shukla.
If 18-hour power cuts, collapse of law and order, stagnant industrial activity, rampant corruption, casteism and nepotism to the core can make a state Uttam Pradesh (best state), then Uttar Pradesh has definitely earned the distinction. The state government is spending crores on publicising it, but the average UPwallah is so infuriated of the ground realities that no number of full-page advertisements and giant-sized hoardings can turn red into rosy. As things stand today, there is a serious danger of UP turning into a rogue state.
UP has not seen a Congress government at its helm for 17 years now. Nobody had then complained of problems of this magnitude. The daylight, senseless murder of Meher Bhargav has left people without a sense of safety and security even in Hazratganj, the heart of the state capital. The situation is frightening in lesser cities and towns. There is little to expect of a police force whose officials have been turned into political workers, owing allegiance to members of a particular caste. The new DGP can try his best to improve the situation but he has too little time on hand to affect any worthwhile change before the coming Assembly elections.
Despite persistent hoopla, no industry has come to the state during last three years. In the last 17 years, even existing industries have either folded up or shifted elsewhere. Corruption, poor law and order, red-tapism and constant harassment by local authorities have made industrialists wary of setting up ventures in UP. Almost every village in the state has 100-200 educated, unemployed youth with no work to do. In the absence of regular work, politics has become the profession of choice in Uttar Pradesh. In rural as well as urban areas, the unemployed, in search of an identity of his own, is prompt to join a political party. He makes his money because of his clout. There is no dearth of vehicles carrying nameplates with obscure political designations in the state.
While no industry has come up in last three years, land worth thousands of crores has been sold to select businessmen in the name of industry. A high point was reached recently when land earmarked for IT-industry was sold to liquor barons! Favours have been doled out to a few who without investing a rupee in people or plant have become billionaires trading on the price of their land alone. Several state policies have been changed to suit the interests of a few, causing a heavy loss to the state exchequer.
Plundering the state has not even stopped at selling all prime land in the state. New areas are constantly being identified by government and industry development corporations to locate fresh land for sale to businessmen. Powerful people in the ruling party have even demarcated areas for exploitation and they do not interfere in affairs of each other. Senior government officials too get their share from the booty.
While the entire state reels from an acute power crisis, the only four districts getting a dreamlike 24-hour power supply are the constituencies of CM, his family members and other powerful leaders of the party. While industrial towns of Kanpur, Moradabad and Ferozabad are facing 18-hour power cuts, even developed cities like Noida and Greater Noida are not spared. Agreed the power situation has never been satisfactory in the last 15 years, but mismanagement in last three years has brought the infrastructure down to its knees.
Not a single unit of power generation has been added in the last three years, while Plant Load Factor at 55.7 per cent has declined well below the national average, at 73.6 per cent. At 27 per cent, the central sector's power allocation to UP is the highest among the region, and yet its government accuses the Centre of bias. In fact, they do not even fully avail their allocation. Records show that UP has thousands of crores as arrears to NTPC. Erstwhile Power Minister Naresh Agarwal had tried to improve PLF and refurbish several plants including Obra, but he was sacked by Rajnath Singh.
UP has overtaken Bihar in promoting casteism. No official was promoted or harassed on caste lines during ND Tiwari, Vir Bahadur, Ram Naresh Yadav or HN Bahuguna's rule, leave apart earlier chief ministers. Today, it is a particular caste that rules the roost. A police sub-inspector of this caste is more powerful than an IAS officer. IAS and IPS officers of UP are so hassled that most of them keep roaming around in Delhi for a posting at centre.
Shockingly, over 80 per cent of constables and sub-inspectors recruited recently belong to this community. Discrimination within this community is also seen; those belonging to Etawah and Mainpuri are given preference over people from eastern UP. If the reports are true that in judicial services also, 80 per cent of people recruited are from the same caste, then higher judiciary should take action over it.
In wheat procurement also, UP has the lowest rank this year with 50,000 tonnes. Before criticising the Centre for wheat imports, the state government owes an explanation how private companies could pick the wheat to export and the government sat idle. One would be amazed to know that Rs 5,000 crore were spent in one village called Saifai, the native place of CM, while other villages of the state were deprived of even Rs 500 for their development.
A new airport for commercial aircrafts is being built without realising that no airlines would run a flight to Saifai. A car mela was held recently in Saifai that offered heavy exemption from state taxes for car purchases. The only beneficiaries were hundreds of Samajwadi Party leaders.
The most unfortunate part is despite abovementioned major issues, the main opposition party, BJP, is sitting quietly without launching any effective agitation against the government. Their leaders hobnob with the CM and rumours are that post election, there can be a tie-up between Samajwadi and BJP.
(The writer is a Congress Rajya Sabha MP)
