RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Dec. 8: The Gas Plant at Forge and Foundry Plant (FFP) of Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) started struggling for its survival as workers continued their strike on the seventh day demanding their salary not paid for the last seven month.
An insider informed this saying in case the gas plant stops working the FFP may face problems in getting it started.
“Gas plants can stop working anytime. Once a gas plant, which helps keep furnaces burning to melt iron, stops working it will take several days to make it operational. Such a situation had come 12 years ago,” the insider said.
President of Hatia Mazdoor Union Bhuwan Singh supported the fact but at the same time, he said workers have taken proper precautions to ensure that plants keep on working.
“Output from the plant has been zero for the last three or four days. However, it somehow is working so far and crisis like situation has not come,” Singh said
None of the three directors of HEC, director (finance) Arundhati Panda, director (personnel) M.K.Saxena and director (marketing and production), Rana S Chakraborty were available for their comments on the matter. “All are on leave,” an insider said, asking the Lagatar 24.com to come another day to meet them.
The Public relations officer of HEC, Sanjay Kumar Singh, said he was not authorized to talk to the press and suggested contacting company secretary A.K.Kanth.
When visited Kanth’s office for his comment, he was not available. When contacted over the phone, he expressed his inability to tell anything in the matter. “I do not have any information,” he said when asked about the roadmap to rescue the ‘Mother of industries’.
The insider said rumours are flying thick and high as the company is facing a crisis.
“It is in the discussion that the process of disinvestment of HEC will start from March next year. Due to which neither any bank nor any financial institution is coming for the support of HEC. Unless the company gets Rs 200 crore immediately it will be difficult to run it as the company not only requires salary but working capital also,” an insider said.
On which union leader Singh said: “The company needs modernisation to face the competitive market and for that a year ago a requirement of Rs 1200 crore was felt. If that is provided to the company immediately, HEC will not only start running but also be able to face a competitive market to survive properly. But the stepmotherly treatment being given to it suggests that the Modi government wants to make its condition miserable enough to justify its selling to people like Ambani. Instead of pursuing discussion to hand over HEC to the defense or Atomic Energy department, the union government is behaving like a mute spectator. State MPs should take up the matter cutting across party affiliation.”
Another insider said: “A regular chairman cum managing director (CMD) for the company can be of great help as the present BHEL CMD Nalin Singhal, who has been given additional charge of the HEC, is not efficient enough to pave the path of its growth.”
A senior official said the silence of the Jharkhand government over the issue is not praiseworthy.
“At the time when the state government is busy attracting investors in the state and negotiating with the union mine ministry additional secretary for 75 percent jobs to locals in mining section it appears least bothered about HEC, which is providing many jobs to locals and can be of great help for providing jobs in the future,” the official said.
