The unabated violence during the quota agitation by Jats in Haryana has cast a shadow over the “Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit-2016” on March 7-9, pouring water on Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s plan to attract investment worth over Rs 1 lakh crore.
The Jat agitation is the biggest test for the new BJP government in State, which came to power in October 2014, as it also threatens to affect neigbouring States, such as Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan, with hundred of goods trucks and trains stranded.
Industry chamber Assocham has pegged that the agitation has already “dealt an estimated blow of Rs 18,000-Rs 20,000 crore by way of loss to public and private property and halting trade, industry, small business and transport.”
With the Army called in and more towns under curfew, scores of units in the Gurgaon-Manesar-Dharuhera-Bawal industrial area are sure to take a big hit. Maruti Suzuki has already announced a shut down in its Gurgaon and Manesar plants.
The industrial belt houses about 1,500 auto giants, such as Honda, Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Motors, ASTI Electronics, Baxter, Munjal Kiriu, Autofit, Bellsonica, Premium Moulding and Endurance.
Urging the Centre and the Haryana government, both headed by the BJP, to control the violence, Assocham said: “Since Haryana shares borders with Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and is the transit route to a number of national highways and trunk railway lines, the collateral damage to the economic activities to other States in terms of loss to production, transport and movement of people would add a few thousands crores more to the overall loss to the national economy.”
The chamber’s secretary General DS Rawat said: “The state administration has to be on top of the situation to control the anti-social elements, causing immense damage to the reputation of the State.”
He said because of the burning of buses, private vehicles, railways stations, police stations, malls and hotels, trade, industry and other businesses had come to almost a complete halt in most of the districts, barring parts of Gurgaon, Rewari and a few areas on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway.
Trade and industry was worst affected in Rohtak, Jhajjar, Bahadurgarh, Hissar, Bhiwani, Jind, Gohana, Sonipat, Kaithal, Karnal and Panipat, which has a number of textile, carpet and leather units.