Barrackpore, April 20 -- The Barrackpore industrial belt, once known as a hub of jute mills, paper mills, textiles and other manufacturing units across areas like Kanchrapara, Halisahar, Naihati, Bhatpara, Garulia, North Barrackpore, Titagarh and Panihati, is now virtually living in the shadows of its past.
An area that historically bustled with a significant amalgamation of British-era industries began to see decline from the 1990s due to rampant bandhs and lockouts. Political tension prevailed in the region for long, as it witnessed a trend of "strongman" politics, with clashes and violence between rival groups becoming a regular phenomenon over the last decade. The region experienced high political volatility, especially as it turned into a competitive battleground for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP. Assembly constituencies like Naihati, Bhatpara, Jagatdal, Noapara, Barrackpore and Khardah, which are going to the polls, still bear the brunt of this violence.
Nine jute mills have downed their shutters in Barrackpore in the past six months. Most of the mills in the industrial belt were located on Ghosh Para Road, which runs parallel to the Hooghly River. Political leaders have frequently promised modernisation of mills and job security, but in reality, the situation has gradually worsened. The Central government's alleged "anti-jute" policy has been described as the "final nail in the coffin" for the industry. Two jute mills in the Bijpur area and the Gauri Shankar mill in Garulia are in decay. The condition of a paper mill in Titagarh is also poor.
The ruling TMC has protested against the Centre's decision to allow large-scale use of high-density polyethylene and polypropylene plastic bags for foodgrain procurement in the RMS 2026-27 season, describing it as a state-sanctioned dilution of jute.
The Centre's move to replace jute bags with plastics on a large scale would push farmers into further crisis, said TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee. Local people alleged that Annapurna Cotton Mill, Palta Mechanised Brick Factory, EMCO, Empire Jute Mill and Lumtex Jute Mill have all shut down operations. "Jute mills have seen a nexus between criminals and political leaders. Incidents of violence, along with communal and ethnic divisions created by political parties, have caused irreparable damage to the social fabric of the region," said Narayan Rajak, a former worker at Annapurna Cotton Mill.
Some residents of Bhatpara alleged that when Arjun Singh was the BJP MP from Barrackpore, real estate was developed on industrial land. Over the last 15 years, more than a lakh people have lost their jobs. Some were temporarily employed in factories that are now also on the verge of decline.
"The mills, where people from different parts of the country and ethnicities once worked together, are now divided along narrow lines," said a resident of Titagarh on condition of anonymity.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.