DALMIANAGAR

About Dalmianagar

Dalmianagar (Hindi: , Urdu: ) is one of the oldest and biggest industrial towns in India. It is situated at Dehri-on-Sone on the banks of the Son River in Rohtas district of Bihar. This is a city and a Municipality in Rohtas district in the state of Bihar, India, combinedly known as Dehri-Dalmianagar Nagar Palika. The Industrial town of Dalmianagar was founded by the famous industrialist Ramkrishna Dalmia, a doyens of business in 20th century India and founder of the Dalmia Group. He was assisted by his younger brother Jaidayal Dalmia and son in law Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain in establishing many factories of Rohtas Industries Ltd. in Dalmianagar. Shanti Prasad Jain took over Rohtas Industries Ltd. from his father-in-law, and under his stewardship, Dalmianagar developed into a massive industrial town from the 1940s till the 1980s with factories producing sugar, cement, paper, chemicals, vanaspati, etc. employing top professionals of the country. Dalmianagar boasted of vast and beautiful housing colony, gardens, clubs, schools, market complexes, hospital etc. for its employees. Rohtas Industries had their own private aircraft in those days and a small air-field near Dalmianagar. The prosperity of Dalmianagar started to decline in the mid 1970s as the law and order situation in this industrial town began to worsen. Local mafia indulged in dacoity and kidnapping. Slowly, executives and professionals began to leave and the factories were mismanaged. By the mid 1980s factories started to shut down. Massive electricity bills remained unpaid by Rohtas Industries Ltd. to the State Electricity Board. [1] There were irregularities in payment of salaries and wages to employees. By the 1990s Dalmianagar looked like a ghost town.