Jharkhand opposition slams CM’s road show to woo investors

Ranchi, July 21 (IANS) Opposition parties in Jharkhand have slammed Chief Minister Raghubar Das for "wasting money" in organising road shows in Bengaluru and Hyderabad for wooing investors at a time when existing companies in the state are passing through bad times.

The state government has spent more than Rs 1 crore on both the road shows held on July 19 and 20.

Former Chief Minister and leader of opposition Hemant Soren said: "Raghubar Das has turned into a junior Narendra Modi. Modi is travelling the world and Das is travelling across the country, while people of the state are suffering for want of basic needs. The Das government is signing MoUs to set up a cement factory in the state, while in Ramgarh district a cement factory is on the verge of closure."

He said: "This is the worst government in the last 16 years of the state. People are suffering on every front."

The Congress has demanded expenditure details of the two road shows. "Raghubar Das government has adopted Arvind Kejriwal's method of staying in the media by spending crores of money on advertisements. The details of the expenditure incurred on road shows and its result should be brought to the notice of people of the state," Jharkhand Congress spokesperson Kishore Sahdeo told IANS.

"On the one hand the companies in the state are passing through tough times and the state government is doing nothing to revive them, while on the other hand they are luring investors from outside. Why should investors come when the law and order situation is worst in the state," said Sahdeo.

He gave an example of Tayo Rolls Limited (formerly Tata-Yodogawa Limited), a metal fabrication and processing company headquartered in Jamshedpur.

In May this year the Board of Directors decided to introduce voluntary separation scheme (VSS) for employees of Gamharia-based Tayo Rolls Ltd. The company employees' family members staged a blockade at the company gate in May and the issue was brought to the notice of the Chief Minister who promised to look into the issue. He has yet to come up with any solution.

Tayo Rolls' produces cast rolls, forged rolls, special castings and pig iron. It was promoted in 1968 in collaboration with Yodogawa Steel Works of Japan. It is the only company in the world to manufacture both cast and forged rolls right from iron ore with its integrated facilities under one roof.

"Like Tayo Rolls, Abhijit Power is also in bad shape. The Abhijit Power plant bank loan and liabilities have put the power plant functioning in trouble. Das is making false statements that the state will have surplus power. The fact is Ranchi which is the state capital is not getting 24 hours power," said Sahdeo.