Raj Darbhanga - Companies Controlled

Companies Controlled

Maharaja Kameshwar Singh was one of the great industrialists of the region. He controlled 14 businesses producing sugar, jute, cotton, iron and steel, aviation, print media, and other products. Some of the major companies were:

Newspaper & Publications Pvt. Ltd. Newspaper & Publications Pvt. Ltd. published two newspapers from Patna, Bihar. The Indian Nation was an English daily newspaper while Aryavarta was a Hindi daily newspaper. It also published Mithila Mihir, a periodical in the Maithili language, and The Dove, a monthly magazine in English. During their heyday, the two newspapers almost had a monopoly in Bihar. The company is no longer publishing any newspapers or magazines.

Walford Walford was a chain of automobile dealerships. It had showrooms at Kolkata, Guwahati, and Imphal.

Darbhanga Aviations Raj Darbhanga had four Douglas DC-3 aircraft (2 No.s of C-47A-DL and 1 No. of C-47A-DK) and ran an airline, Darbhanga Aviations, from 1950 to 1962. These airplanes were purchased from the United States Air Force. One of these planes (Registration number VT-DEM) was destroyed in an accident near Calcutta in 1954. This plane was on scheduled domestic service out of Calcutta, India, when it crashed on takeoff. The No.1 engine of the plane caught fire immediately after takeoff from Calcutta runway 19R. The aircraft failed to gain height, stalled, and crashed into some trees 3,330 feet (1,010 m) past the end of the runway. Two of the eight passengers and all three crew members aboard were killed. The six surviving passengers were all critically injured. Although the engine fire was the primary cause of the crash, the pilot was also cited for a delay in feathering the engine and for the extreme nose-up altitude of the plane during takeoff.

The second airplane, bearing registration No. VT-AYG, crashed on 24 May 1962 near Rajshahi in Bangladesh. The cause of the crash has been attributed to fatigue failure of the no.1 engine, forcing the crew of the DC-3 to continue on a single engine (no. 2). The remaining engine lost power due to overheating, resulting in crash of the aircraft.

The third aircraft (registration No. VT-DEM) was taken over by the Indian Air Force.

The fourth aircraft (registration No.VT-AZX) was sold to Kalinga Airlines.

Raj Darbhanga maintained two airstrips at Darbhanga and Madhubani. The airstrip at Darbhanga is now under control of the Indian Air Force, while the airstrip at Madhubani is under control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Ashok Paper Mills Ashok Paper Mills manufactured newsprint. It was later taken over by Government of Bihar, and is now closed.

Sakri Sugar Factory and Pandaul Sugar Factory Both these factories were nationalized and taken over by Government of Bihar.

Rameshwar Jute Mills The jute mills located in outskirts of Calcutta were sold to the Birlas in 1960.

British India Corporation The British India Corporation was a large business with several mills and factories in Kanpur and other parts of north India. The controlling stake was held by the Maharaja of Darbhanga.

Octavius Steel This organisation was a large Calcutta managing agency with interests in engineering, tea, sugar, and other products. The Maharaja of Darbhanga had a large financial stake in this company.

Thacker Spink & Co (P) Ltd This Calcutta-based publishing house was owned by the Darbhanga Raj and it published many books.

Darbhanga Investments Private Ltd This company was the investment arm of Raj Darbhanga, and held shares of various companies, including companies of the Tata Group.

Darbhanga Dairy Farm (P) Ltd This was a dairy farm owned by Darbhanga Raj. The company held dairy farms in Darbhanga and Jamshedpur.

Darbhanga Marketing Ltd This was a Calcutta based marketing company. It is now a part of KK Birla Group.

Tirhoot State Rly This company promoted a railway line in north Bihar. The first railway line in north Bihar between Darbhanga and Bajitpur on the banks of the Ganges opposite Barh was built in 1874 at the prompting of the Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh under auspices of Tirhoot State Railway. In 1874, Tirhoot State Railway opened meter gauge rail lines to Samastipur and Darbhanga.