Many Tales, One Defunct Factory: Darbhanga’s Ashok Paper Mill

The Ashok Paper Mill in Darbhanga is a contested piece of property, replete with varying accounts of ruin.

The entrance of Ashok Paper Mill in Darbhanga, Bihar. (Photo: The Quint/Aakash Joshi)

The Ashok Paper Mill manufactures wretchedness. It occupies 400 acres of prime land on the outskirts of Darbhanga, and depending on who you speak to, it has been defunct from February this year.

For years, the mill was the quintessential example of a diseased public enterprise. It was owned by the Bihar government and managed by the state department of industry. Following a Supreme Court order, a Mumbai based entrepreneur Dharam Lodha was handed over the factory with all its assets as part of a PPP to revive the enterprise by the Nitish Kumar government in 2010-2011.

Soon after, a man was killed at the gates of the factory and two more were injured.

A man named Sushil Shah was killed near the third pole. (Photo: The Quint/Aakash Joshi)

These are the only facts that are beyond dispute.

The circumstances and the story around these facts differ depending on who you speak to.

‘Nitish Kumar Stole Our Livelihood’

Suraj Sahni, in his 60s, was an employee of the mill along with over 400 other locals. Even after the mill was largely defunct, since the late 80s, he continued to receive salary and benefits.

Suraj Sahni, a resident of Darbhanaga. (Photo: The Quint/Aakash Joshi)

<p>I worked in the mill my whole life. Even after it stopped working, Lalu made sure we got benefits. But since Nitish Kumar gave the mill over to [Dharam] Lodha, we have received nothing. The few workers he had were not locals. Nitish stole our livelihood. </p>

<p><b>Suraj Sahni, Former Mill Worker</b></p>

Parmila and Shakuntala, two locals, insist that the mill has been completely unproductive since Lodha took over.

Parmila Devi (L) and Shakuntala Devi (R). (Photo: The Quint/Aakash Joshi)

<p>Not one scrap of paper has been produced. Every time a government official would come for a visit, they would burn <i>bhusa</i> (hay) to let smoke out of the chimneys of the factory. </p>

<p><b>Parmila Devi</b></p>

<p>We aren’t allowed to go on the land. It’s acres of priceless wealth. And they are just wasting it. As soon as Lodha took over, he began to take away all the equipment and scrap metal from the factory. When we protested, his men killed a young man called Sushil Shah. Now that they have looted this place, it will never function. They will try to sell the land next. </p>

<p><b>Shakuntala Devi</b></p>

Once a Chief Engineer, Now a Caretaker Under Siege

The Ashok Paper Mill once held about Rs 200 crore worth of equipment. The land it stands on is worth almost a fortune. Now it is nearly impossible to enter the compound. Behind a locked gate, Shankar Sen, the Chief Engineer sits with what one of the villagers later described as his ‘bodyguards and dalals’.

<p>I came here four years ago as an engineer. Now I am a caretaker. Mr Lodha told me that the factory will be up and running after the elections. I will wait till then, otherwise I will go back to Kolkata.</p>

<p><b>Shankar Sen, Chief Engineer, Ashok Paper Mill</b></p>

As far as Sen is concerned, his boss Dharam Lodha had the best intentions.

<p>The villagers don’t know what’s what. Soon after I came here in 2010, locals started a fire and turned violent right at the factory gates. A young man was killed, and Dharam Lodha was accused of his murder. When the case was dropped in 2012, we resumed production. We produced 30-40 thousand tonnes of paper. Yes, production had to be halted occasionally due to technical difficulties, but that’s normal.</p>

<p><b>Shankar Sen, Chief Engineer, Ashok Paper Mill</b></p>

So why hasn’t the mill functioned since February this year. A source in the upper echelons of the mill’s management blamed it on a police raid.

<p>On 28 December 2014, the then SP (Superintendent of Police) Munnu Maharaj raided the factory with a huge force looking for a suspect. All the techinicians ran away. Then on 18 February this year, the power was cut without notice. We are waiting for the elections to be over, the boss (Lodha) says it will return soon after.</p>

<p><b>Senior Officer, Mill Management</b></p>

As Far as Voting Goes, Nitish May Suffer

After we heard the confusing and conflicting tale of the Ashok Paper Mill was done, only one thing was clear. Both the government and the private sector had failed miserably. There was a lot of anger against Nitish Kumar for “destroying” the mill.

Umesh Shah, cousin of deceased Sushil Shah. (Photo: The Quint/Aakash Joshi)

But there were those, for example Umesh Shah, cousin of Sushil Shah, who still thought the roads Nitish had built earned him his vote.