6. The Agra-Delhi-Kalka-Saharanpur Industrial Region

This industrial region emerged mainly after independence. Being in and around the national capital and in the vicinity of the Indira Gandhi International Airport

it has a more peaceful industrial environment, largely free from the labour unrest and Naxalite movement. It is located in the most productive part of the country providing enough raw material for the agro based industries. The nearness of market and availability of hydro-power from Bhakra Nangal and thermal power from Badarpur, Faridabad, Harduaganj, and Indraprastha (Delhi) have helped largely in the development of this industrial region.

The main industries of this region are engineering, electronics, chemical, glass, textile, sugar, and food-processing and agricultural machinery (Fig. 11.18). The main industrial centres are Agra (textile, tourisms), Ambala (scientific instruments), Chandigarh (electronic and strategic goods), Delhi (textile, chemicals, drugs, pharmaceutical, light machine, electronic goods, food processing), Faridabad (engineering), Ghaziabad (synthetic fibre, chemicals, electronics, pharmaceuticals, agricultural equipments, iron & steel, cycle tyre and tubes), Gurgaon (automobiles), Kalka (HMT), Mathura (petrochemicals), Meerut (sugar and textile), Modinagar (textile, engineering goods, and paper), Modipuram (textiles), Mohannagar (brewery, alcohol), Moradnagar (ordinance), NOIDA (automobile, electronics, etc.), Panipat (textile, chemical and food processing), and Saharanpur (paper, wood-work, sugar, textile and food-processing).

High price of land, traffic jam, and high rate of crimes are the main problems of this region.