Only 86 big industries were set up in Assam in last five years.

The unavailability of large tracts of land banks continues to affect the setting up of the big industries in the state. In the last five years, between 2016-21, only 86 big industries were set up in Assam.

According to statistics available with Business Northeast, during the period 2016-21, a handful of only 86 big industries were set up in the state while 32,770 small industries were set up across the state during the same period. The huge gap in both numbers drives home the point that Assam is still not ready to accept big investors or large manufacturing facilities, which could create a lot of employment.

The reason for less number of big industries is also due to the lack of availability of commercial power land and huge land banks.

In fact, the first BJP government in the state led by Sarbananda Sonowal tried to make some course corrections when it comes to land use. To fast-track the land acquisition for setting up big industries, the government formed a committee to identify districts with maximum land availability.

For instance, the committee identified Dhemaji which has the highest potential for industrial development with the availability of large tracts of open land.

“We still do not have an agriculture policy which demarcates land between industrial and agricultural land. And this is the biggest stumbling in the growth of big industries in the state,” a senior official of the state Industries and Commerce department said.

A dedicated land policy is the need of the hour if Assam wants big industries to set their foot in the state, he added. However, red tapismm political compulsions have till now prevented successive governments to come up with development-oriented policies.

The unavailability of land is one of the prime reasons for investors shying away from Assam.

In 2016, the state’s industry department has taken the creation of a ‘land bank’ for industries as a target for the first 100 days. Setting up of a ‘single window clearance system’ too figured in the 100 days to-do list for the department. The industries department had identified around 2,100 bighas of land lying unused and which once belonged to now-defunct public sector companies and mills. It wants to make these lands part of the ‘land bank’ and make them available for the industry.

But how far this `land bank’ creation has facilitated in setting up of big industries is not reflected in the numbers shared by the government.

ALSO READ: Gautam Adani’s firm to supply power to Bangladesh from December