Rampant extortion by political elements, newly imposed GST and a visible slowdown in construction seem to the sounding the death-knell of the once-booming brick-kiln industry in the state. The situation has come to such a pass that more than three hundred brick kilns, many of them in Jirania area, will be forced to close down business throwing more than seven thousand people out of employment. Sources from Jirania said that over the past four and half years the condition of the brick kiln industries has gone down from bad to worse because of a host of problems. “Earlier during the previous regime we had to contribute to the fund of the political party more or less as per our will and we were also allowed to bargain but everything has changed over the past four and half years; we are simply over-charged by the elements close to the ruling party and hefty amounts have to be given, there is no other option” said a major brick kiln owner.