Industrialist caught in bottleneck

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 22. At a time when the Supreme Court has ordered the shifting of polluting industries from the Capital and the Haryana Government is wooing investors, a Delhi-based industrialist, who set up an ice-cream factory in Bahadurgarh recently, has had a bitter experience.

If there is anything that Mr. Sumeet Bhasin has learnt by dealing with the Haryana Government, it is this : ``What the Government proposes, the bureaucracy disposes''. And when it is as crazy a bureaucracy as that of this neighbouring State, even genuine proposals do not hold water.

Wasn't it a harmless offer that made this computer professional decide in favour of opening an ice-cream factory in Bahadurgarh in 1998? The tale unfolds in March 1998 when at a loan mela in Delhi, Mr. Bhasin was promised a loan to set up a factory in Bahadurgarh. Later, at an open house held in August 1998 in Bahadurgarh, his loan was sanctioned principally.

In December 1998, Mr. Bhasin bought a piece of land in Bahadurgarh and obtained a ``No Objection Certificate'' from the local health authorities to put up an industrial unit. After constructing his factory and putting together the machinery, Mr. Bhasin was ready for production by September 1999.

After having spent more than Rs.1 crore, it was but natural that Mr. Bhasin was expecting to take off. But nothing of this sort happened. In April 2000, the provisional NOC granted to him expired and as an honest citizen, he applied again.

One of the requirements was a certification of ground water by the local health authorities and again, as a responsible citizen, Mr. Bhasin took the water sample, and took it for testing. Little did he realise that this small step was going to be the beginning of an ordeal.

``The NOC was not granted this time on the plea that the ground water was polluted,'' Mr. Bhasin said, adding that in August 2,000, he received a letter from the Haryana Financial Corporation recalling his loan. ``I wrote to the HFC urging them to give me six months time to clear my dues. In the meantime, I found a buyer for the industry and after finalising a deal with him, I took advance and deposited approximately Rs.20 lakhs with the HFC in January this year''.

Even as Mr. Bhasin sent a letter to the HFC wanting to know the balance in order to clear his dues, he received a letter from the latter stating that he must deposit the balance amount of Rs. 5,80,000 or otherwise the Corporation would take possession of his land. ``Even as I made the balance payment in three parts on January 8, the HFC filed a caveat application in the Punjab and Haryana High Court,'' he laments.

On April 9, Mr. Bhasin received another shock when he was told that the HFC had lost the third part of the balance which he had deposited through a cheque. This amount of Rs. 80,000 was to be deposited with interest, he was told. ``Since the buyer of his industry was pressing for the original papers, I made this payment also,'' he rued.

Three days before -- on April 17, to be precise -- Mr. Bhasin was told at another Open Session by the HFC that he can have the original papers only if the loading charges -- in lieu of the pre-payment made -- of 2 per cent per annum which amounts to Rs. 89,022 was outstanding. ``It was indeed crazy. They recall the loan, they lose the cheque and then make me pay the loading charges as well, which incidentally has already been covered in my earlier payments!''.

Left with no other option, Mr. Bhasin coughed up this amount also and got back his papers. But he is not sure whether his ordeal has, indeed, come to an end. The episode has left him exasperated -- physically as well as mentally. ``I will file an application with the Chief Vigilance Commissioner next week,'' he says.

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