Ranchi: Nearly 50 per cent of unused industrial land has been encroached upon, while around 20 per cent found unsuitable for large-scale industrial use due to fragmented or small plot sizes. This was revealed during an internal survey conducted by the Jharkhand Industrial Area Development Authority (JIADA) to assess the condition, usability, and infrastructure readiness of its 1,800 acres of industrial land. Infrastructural gaps, including lack of proper access roads and incomplete plotting, were also found in several locations.The state industries department has prioritised industrial land preparedness in its attempt to position Jharkhand as an investor-ready destination, post chief minister Hemant Soren’s outreach at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Corporate groups, including Tata Steel, Jindal Group, Rungta Group and Welspun World, had shown interest in expanding or investing in Jharkhand during the chief minister’s Davos engagements.JIADA managing director Varun Ranjan said, “We are identifying encroached land and taking steps to remove the illegal settlers. Recently, we secured a major win as the Jharkhand high court allowed us to clear 200 acres in the Patratu Industrial Area of encroachments. Discussions are under way with multiple companies to set up a food and beverage manufacturing hub on the cleared land.”The Patratu case was pending for around five years.For smaller land patches that cannot accommodate large industries, JIADA is exploring alternative uses such as solar power installations or allotment to MSMEs, self-help groups (SHGs) and cottage industries in accordance with inclusive industrial development plans.Beyond optimising existing land, the authority is also preparing for expansion. “We aim to acquire 3,000 acres over the next two years, including at least 1,000 acres this year,” Ranjan said.Moreover, JIADA will undertake plot-wise geo-tagging and upload all available plots on the India Industrial Land Bank (IILP), a GIS-based national portal developed by the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) to improve transparency and investor access in order to provide real-time information on industrial land availability across India.
