SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, June 2: The start of operation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream project- Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Limited (HURL) Sindri unit has plunged into uncertainty due to the frequent changes of Group General Manager (GGM) and mismanagement.
So far, the local management has announced four dates in two years for HURL’s commissioning but it is still precarious.
On May 25, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually laid the foundation stone for three units of HURL at Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Barauni (Bihar) And Sindri (Jharkhand) at Baliapur of Dhanbad.
All three projects have to be built at Rs 18,000 crores (Rs 6 crores each) to produce 12.7 lakh MT prilled neem-coated urea per annum. HURL Sindri unit has to produce 3,850 MT urea per day.
As per schedule, the Sindri project had to be completed in three years by May 2021, the second date in November 2021, the third date in March 2022 and 4th date in June 2022. But now, Sindri’s local management has reportedly set the aim to start its operation in July or August.
Though the Sindri management holds the Corona pandemic and continuous political party agitation responsible for the delay in completion of the factory, the people of Sindri blame mismanagement, corruption and frequent changing of GGM for the delay in commissioning.
So far, four GGMs have been changed at Sindri in four years since 2018. 5th GGM is currently working here. After Sujit Chawla, MC Karan, Sunil Kumar Sinha and Himmat Singh Chouhan, now Kameshwar Jha has become the GGM. Notably, not a single GGM has been allowed to stay here even for a year.
It is a million-dollar question making rounds in Sindri about how long the present GGM would stay as he is serious about starting HURL’s operation.
Sindri people allege that a lobby is active since the tender game of over a thousand crore rupees is running in the factory. Whenever an honest Group General Manager comes and starts streamlining the work, he is replaced.
“Corona pandemic is an alibi of local HURL management to cover its mismanagement. Whenever anyone asks a question from the local management, the officer serves the pleader with a notice to gag the voice,” commented Sewa Singh, the president of FCI VSS Employees Association.
HURL has come up in place of Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCI) Sindri which was shut down in December 2002.
When Sewa Singh pointed out mismanagement in 2020, the then GGM Sunil Kumar Sinha served him with a legal notice for action. However, following the interference of the then Managing Director (MD), the issue was settled.
Mismanagement has become so prevalent at HURL that rarely a day goes by without trade unions staging protests and agitating at the gate against officials.
Two days ago, INTUC (Dadai faction) held a massive demonstration at the HURL gate under national president and former MP Chandrashekhar Dubai alias Dadai Dubey.
Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has also announced agitation and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) affiliated trade union has been agitating for the last three months in support of their demands but the local management has failed to tackle them. JMM district chief Ramesh Tudu, who is spearheading the agitation, alleges that local management is violating the guidelines of the state government.
HURL GGM Kameshwer Jha and manager Vikrant Kumar could not be contacted for comment despite repeated attempts.
