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Saran: Locals lament loss of mills that once dotted landscape

By, Chapra
May 16, 2024 09:38 PM IST

For the voters of Saran Lok Sabha constituency (Chapra before 2008 delimitation), the contest between RJD leader Lalu Prasad’s family and BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy is not new.

Harendra Yadav, in his late 60s, rues closure of sugar mill at Marwah, 25 kilometres north-west of Chapra town. “No step has been taken to revive the mill. Leaders only believe in lip service but no serious effort has been made from any quarter,” says Yadav, showing the ruins of four mills that once dotted Marhaura, including Morton factory, the makers of Morton toffee.

Closed sugar mill at Marhaura in Bihar’s district. (HT photo)
Closed sugar mill at Marhaura in Bihar’s district. (HT photo)

Approximately 80 km away from Patna, people of Marhaura go into nostalgia and talk of two issues. One is the usual anger over lack of development and joblessness. Second, nostalgia over how three decades ago, the area was a vibrant industrial town with investment, industries and jobs that led to people migrating from several Bihar towns to settle down here.

The rust-laden gates of Morton factory on Marhaura’s main arterial road are shut. Over a dozen hawkers, selling Bihar’s famous “litti”, toys and application forms for various government jobs have occupied the space nearby.

Till 30-odd years ago, Morton was a household brand, making toffees, chocolates and cookies. Set up in 1929 by C&E Morton Ltd, the factory has been shut for 25 years, sold for its real estate value. C&E Morton from England was one of the principal suppliers of canned food to the British forces during the First World War and even the Polar expeditions led by Shackleton and Scott. Morton’s overseas expansion plans brought the company to India.

Its Indian arm, C&E Morton (India) Limited, started manufacturing various kinds of confectionery at the Marharua factory and sold the products under the trade name “Morton” almost nine decades ago.

The company promoted sugarcane cultivation and in the 1920s, Cawnpore Sugar Factory (a Kanpur-based company) set up base next to Morton. Then the company expanded by setting up its own power plant, procured a steam engine from England and 20 bogies to ferry sugarcane and sugar produce. Next, it branched out to set up a distillery. Soon, Saran engineering works was set up next to the sugar mill.

Morton grabbed a major market share in India. But poor infrastructure, labour trouble and government indifference pushed the company to bankruptcy. By 1997, it folded up.

Today, a small office stands testimony of the premium brand chocolate.

In the radius of one km from the factory, one can see huge colonial-era bungalows and the graveyards of three more industries.

Saran Engineering Works, set up in 1930s, supplied machinery as far as Russia and the UK. Many of the sugar mills and other factories received their equipment from Saran engineering. Following the decline in industrial climate in Bihar post 1995, the unit was shut in 1997 and 2,000 odd labourers were laid off.

Adjacent to Saran engineering, the walls of two more industries — Cawnpore Sugar Works & Saran Distillery — have collapsed.

The huge chimney of the sugar mill broke and fell a few years ago.

The four industrial units employed 4,000 and brought livelihood indirectly to lakhs.

“It is a slap on our leaders, both of Grand Alliance and NDA, who are making claims and counter claims over providing jobs. Nobody is talking about these industries,” said Radheshyam (single name). “Nobody denies development. But steps should also be taken for employment generation,” he said.

Even though RJD national president Lalu Prasad is out of active politics, people remember his contribution in providing jobs by setting up Rail Wheel Factory at Bela and Diesel Locomotive Factory at Marhaura.

But people also appreciate the work done by sitting MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who has helped in building good network of roads, flyovers, including a double-decker one coming up. Chapra is one of the few towns in Bihar of the state which has PNG connections, even in villages. “I was elected from Saran in the past two elections and projects worth 30,105 crore are currently underway in the district. Many projects have been inaugurated while many more are in the pipeline while a power substation has also been established here,” Rudy says.

The contest

For the voters of Saran Lok Sabha constituency (Chapra before 2008 delimitation), the contest between RJD leader Lalu Prasad’s family and BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy is not new. In the past two polls, it was a direct fight between Rudy and RJD candidates linked to the Lalu family. In 2014, Rudy trounced Lalu’s wife and former Bihar CM Rabri Devi by 40,000 votes while in 2019, he defeated Chandrika Rai, father-in-law of Lalu’s son Tej Pratap Yadav, by 1.38 lakh votes. This time, Rudy is taking on Lalu’s daughter Rohini Acharya, who is making her electoral debut. A medical graduate, Rohini is settled in Singapore. She was in the news in 2022 when she donated one of her kidneys to her ailing dad, an act that won her praise even from Lalu’s rivals.

Today, Chandrika Rai, a JD (U) member and son of former chief minister late Daroga Prasad Rai, is campaigning actively for BJP candidate. Rai has a considerable following among the Yadav community.

Lalu Prasad has deeper connect in the constituency, which he represented four times till he was disqualified in 2013 following his conviction in the fodder scam.

“I am not a novice. I am aware of what’s happening in Bihar. I have learnt politics from my father,” Rohini says.

Rudy is a BJP veteran who has worked with both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi as a Union minister. “It’s not Rohini in the fray. The real opponent is Lalu, who is fighting from behind the scenes,” says Rudy, who is banking on the Modi magic.

Out of the six assembly seats falling under Saran Lok Sabha constituency, four were won by the RJD during 2020 assembly elections while two went to BJP.

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