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Industry raises alarm over UP law & order

Barely three months after leading industry body CII feted the country?s youngest chief minister by hosting the prestigious Global Partnership Summit in Agra

Barely three months after leading industry body CII feted the country?s youngest chief minister by hosting the prestigious Global Partnership Summit in Agra, in which Akhilesh Yadav launched many key policies and during which US-India Business Council (USIBC) president Ron Somers famously proclaimed that the ?Americans are coming to UP?, the UP story seems to have gone kaput. In what might set the alarm bells ringing, the same industry body has now expressed grave concerns on the fast deteriorating law and order situation in the state and said that if things are not put right real fast, industrial development in the state will suffer an irreparable loss.

Jayant Davar, the newly elected chairman of CII, northern region, said the perception of the law and order situation in the state needs to change fast so that investors don?t run away from the state. ?Law and order in UP is indeed a matter of concern and we have decided to speak to the state government regarding it. We would like to work with the government on this issue,? he said, adding that the state needs to deploy additional force to maintain vigil, if required. The industry body has also discussed internally that the CII platform will be used to bring together the industry, the state police and home departments for regular interaction between the two. Issues pertaining to the industry will be brought directly to their notice. ?The idea behind the interaction will be to build the confidence of industry and also change the state?s perception,? said a CII functionary.

It may be mentioned that the law and order situation has been the Achilles? heel of the Samajwadi Party government. Even before the government came to power last year under Akhilesh Yadav?s stewardship, after five years of Mayawati rule, the same issue had given the party a headache in its previous stint. In fact, such was the party?s attention to this that all through the campaigning period, SP claimed that it had learnt its lesson well and will not make the same mistake twice.

In fact, the poor law and order situation has been the chief reason for the industry to retreat from Uttar Pradesh over the last two decades. Though it?s still early days for the Akhilesh Yadav government, BSP supremo Mayawati has gone to the extent of meeting Governor BL Joshi last week, asking him to recommend president?s rule in the state.

Claiming that there is a constitutional crisis, Mayawati said that the recent surge in criminal activities in the state is proof that the situation has gone out of control of the present government.

In fact, realising that this issue can fast turn into its own nemesis and affect its image, the state government had about a fortnight back axed the director general of police AC Sharma and replaced him with Dev Raj Nagar. “The Samajwadi Party government has often been cornered by the opposition over deteriorating law and order situation in the state and changing the DGP was the least that the government could do to arrest the plunge in its ratings, but that in itself is not helping the government much.

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First published on: 25-04-2013 at 03:41 IST
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