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National

The Sakri Sugar Mill And The Broken Dreams

Once the symbol of Bihar's cottage industries, the Sakri Sugar Mill now stands bare of past glory in a dilapidated state. It closed down in 1997 and over 1,100 employees lost their jobs. The machinery and infrastructure of the mill are now in a dilapidated state, with rust eating all hopes for any rejuvenation of the mill.

The imposing fa?ade of the main building of the Sakri Sugar Mill still towers over the town of Sakri around it.
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The imposing fa?ade of the main building of the Sakri Sugar Mill still towers over the town of Sakri around it.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Dilapidated machinery and structures dot the huge campus that once housed one of the most productive sugar mills in the country.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Rusty wagons once used to carry cane to the mill lie all over the ground, somewhat resembling the skeleton of a long dead creature.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

A haunting tree in what was once the General Manager's bungalow is silhouetted again the evening sky.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

A rotting door held together by a rusty padlock to what was once an office building.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

A rusty old spanner and dusty furniture in a office shed.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Old cupboards are used to safeguard records of employees who were laid off when the Mill shut down in the hopes that someday they will be compensated.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

An old register with tells us the grand sounding name of the Mill when it was open – Bihar State Sugar Corporation LTD, Unit Sakri

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Piles of old attendance registers and pay records cover the floor of a derelict office.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Old steam locomotives that once pulled wagons laden with sugarcane to the mill now lie rusting in the yard.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

An elderly man takes an afternoon nap in the shade of abandoned staff quarters.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

Rows of single-storied brick houses that were once staff quarters are slowly being reclaimed by nature.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

The main gates of the mill that have perhaps remained closed since 1997.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook

A milestone on the road outside reminds locals of the past.

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Photo: Vikram Sharma/Outlook