Bihar News : Anger among villagers living near the rail locomotive factory in Bihar’s Madhepura has begun to surface openly, with local residents alleging that nearby youth are being ignored in employment opportunities. The villagers have warned of an agitation and demanded jobs for local youth according to their qualifications.
The residents said the land on which the factory has been established belongs to the local area, and therefore local people should also benefit from employment opportunities generated by the project. Raising slogans and demands, villagers said, “Give jobs in the factory according to qualifications, provide employment to local youth, otherwise shut down the factory.”
Report on Economic Output Triggers Fresh Anger
Recently, a report by MELPL, a joint company of Alstom and Indian Railways, was released in Patna. According to the report, the Madhepura Electric Locomotive Project supported an economic output of around Rs 60,000 crore across the country during the financial years 2020-26.
After reports and media discussions highlighted employment generation linked to the project, resentment reportedly increased among villages located near the factory.
Villagers alleged that local youth were not receiving employment in the factory according to their educational and technical qualifications.
Villagers Raise Questions Over Local Employment
The villagers also claimed that, in the name of manufacturing railway locomotives, equipment and components are brought from outside and only assembled at the factory.
They said that if even small components were manufactured locally, people from the surrounding areas could have received greater employment and business opportunities. However, these allegations have not been independently verified.
Villager Arvind Kumar Yadav made serious allegations against a factory official, claiming that the official was allegedly making village youth sell smack, causing harm to society. These allegations have also not been independently verified.
Yadav said his children had completed ITI education but had not received employment according to their qualifications.
Youth Forced to Migrate for Employment, Villagers Claim
Sudhir Kumar Yadav said that villagers had not received the expected benefits in areas such as employment, electricity, education and facilities for farmers.
He alleged that qualified young people were being forced to migrate to Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat in search of employment. Villagers demanded that candidates should be given jobs according to their educational degrees and technical qualifications.
Arvind Kumar Singh said that assurances regarding local development and employment had been given when land was acquired for the project. However, he said many young people from the villages were still forced to leave the area in search of work.
He also raised questions regarding healthcare facilities in the area.
Villagers Question Report Release in Patna
The villagers also questioned why the report related to a factory located in Madhepura was released in Patna.
They said that since the factory and its land were in Madhepura, a programme at the local level would have given villagers an opportunity to present their concerns directly.
The villagers said they were preparing the outline of an agitation. They warned that if their demands were not addressed soon, they would once again launch a major protest.
The factory management, however, refrained from making any statement on the matter.
