JAMMU, September 24, 2026 – Two major industrial investment proposals worth Rs 600 crore, initially touted as significant engines for job creation and economic growth, have failed to translate into actual projects on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir. The ambitious proposals, which included a highly publicized venture by M/s Haldiram Snacks Private Limited and another by Yida Chemicals, have officially fallen through for reasons the administration has not publicly detailed. According to a written reply provided by the Industries and Commerce Department during the ongoing session of the Legislative Assembly, the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Haldiram Snacks on December 27, 2021. The agreement promised an investment of Rs 300 crore with an employment potential of 1,000 persons. However, after the land was formally allotted, it was subsequently surrendered by the company, while Yida Chemicals similarly dropped its proposal. The collapse of these high-profile projects has raised serious questions regarding the actual conversion rate of proposed investment MoUs into tangible industrial development within the Union Territory.
Alongside the failure of these mega projects, the government’s official data revealed a striking disconnect between the demand for industrial land, its actual transfer, and the allotment process. The Industries and Commerce Department disclosed that while indents were placed for approximately 11,800 kanals of land across 17 locations during 2024-25 and 2025-26, only 8,205 kanals have been successfully transferred for the establishment of Industrial Estates. Highlighting the administrative paradox, the department noted that as of January 31, 2026, there were 6,280 fully completed applications pending on the J&K Single Window portal—1,181 from the Jammu division and 5,099 from Kashmir. In Jammu, 464 units were successfully allotted 2,451 kanals of land, but 717 units were denied allotment citing the exhaustion of available land. However, this claim sharply contradicts the ground reality, as a sizable number of plots in several newly created Industrial Estates remain entirely vacant, leaving hundreds of eager entrepreneurs in a state of prolonged uncertainty despite the comprehensive incentives offered under the J&K Industrial Policy 2021-30.
Published by True Roots Media Network