India Inc insist on law and order in NCR

NEW DELHI: When the managing director of a leading business process and IT services firm offered to set up his own venture in the NCR region, his wife scotched the idea. “She just did not agree because she thought the interiors, specially the NCR, are unsafe to set up a business,” confesses the corporate honcho who has recently relocated to India after having spent 15-odd years in a senior position in the US defence department.

 

“Law and order has to improve and even though it is not a major problem, there are a few pockets within certain states where it is an issue and needs to be focused on,” said Amit Mitra, secretary general, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, taking note of the situation.

 

India Inc is indeed sitting up and taking note of the situation in the NCR which a BPO hub and home to many world-class Information Technology companies. Law and order is certainly a significant consideration in smooth conduct of business and flow of investments, says Lt Gen S S Mehta, Director General, CII.

 

The NCR is endowed with a comparatively good infrastructure and has a history of attracting investments. A good law and order situation would only make the business environment more conducive, adds Mehta.

 

Anil Agarwal, president of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), said, “By and large, the law and order situation in Delhi is satisfactory. However, stray and isolated cases in Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Sonepat and Faridabad have shaken the industry to some extent.”

 

However, for some it is a much larger issue not restricted to any area or sector. Sunil Mehta, vice-president, Nasscom, said, “The IT industry is concerned about the recent incidents. Law and order needs to be strengthened. Nasscom and the IT industry is willing to offer any help as this is a much larger issue and not one specific to the sector,” hinting at the recent kidnapping of the son of Adobe chief.

 

Analysts, however are optimistic about the situation. For them, law and order has not worsened very significantly and India is better off compared to several other nations. Sanjeev Krishan, executive director, PricewaterhouseCoopers, said, “The law and order situation will have only marginal impact and except for certain localised situations, where it may be a cause of worry, the overall scheme remains the same for most investors.”

 

 

 

 

NEW DELHI: Two days after Anant Gupta, the three-year-old son of Adobe CEO Naresh Gupta was kidnapped from Noida, the police claimed to have definite clues in the case.

 

However recovering him could prove to a be a long haul as recent pattern in kidnapping cases have shown that several gangs are involved in one operation.

 

Take the case of Vaibhav Aggrawal, a 15-year-old boy from Kota. He was kidnapped from his hostel in Kota, Rajasthan, on June 10 last year. Before his release, two weeks later, he went through the hands of at least 14 gangs. He had been driven from Kota to Delhi from where he was taken to Dehra Dun. He was then again moved to Kahtuli and finally brought to Ghaziabad from where he was rescued.

 

In another case six-year-old Lakshit Malhotra was kidnapped from outside his school in Pitampura in north Delhi in September last year. The Crime Branch later traced the boy to a village in Etah in UP. The investigation revealed that he was taken to UP to be sold to a professional gang.

 

These two cases highlight how criminals are taking a professional approach in committing crimes. Even in the Anant case, there are unconfirmed reports of him having been transferred to Chambhal dacoit Jagjivan Parihar.

 

Police officers point out that several gangs jointly carry out a kidnapping. While one gang picks up a target, another gang keeps the hostage in custody, a third gang takes the responsibility of transporting the hostage to the final gang which negotiates a ransom. “Actually a single gang doesn’t possess the wherewithal to carry out the entire operation,” the officer added.