It may soon be curtains for the Cement Corporation of India’s unit in Adilabad as slim hopes that remained of its revival have been dashed with the government of India enterprise initiating steps for disposal of the plant and machinery.
Online electronic bids are invited for appointment of valuers for valuation of assets required for disposal of plant, machinery along with plant’s structure, store and scrap and dismantling quarters of township at its cement factories in Akaltara and Mandhar (both in Chhattisgarh), Kurkunta (Karnataka), Nayagaon (Madhya Pradesh) and Adilabad in Telangana, the public sector enterprise said in an e-tender notice.
The 4-lakh-tonne per annum plant in Adilabad, which got into commercial production in April 1984, occupied a pride of place in the industrial landscape of the region, catering to the cement requirements of the Marathwada and Vidarbha region in Maharashtra as well as North Telangana. Its fortunes also fluctuated fast with the opening up of the economy and need for scale.
Though it has been around 25 years since the plant officially became non-operational, in November 1998, the need to reopen the unit has been a constant demand and the importance of which has not been lost on political parties.
Telangana Industries Minister K.T.Rama Rao, who had written to the Centre multiple times on need for reviving the unit, on Tuesday appealed to the Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal. “Appeal to @PiyushGoyal Ji & Govt of India to review & take positive decision to revive the Cement Corporation of India unit in Adilabad. We will extend all support from state Govt & provide needed fiscal incentives to ensure thousands of youth from Adilabad are gainfully employed,” Mr.Rao said in a tweet from his personal handle @KTRTRS.
In January, he wrote to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of Heavy Industries Mahendra Nath Pandey requesting for reopening of the unit in Adilabad as “there are a lot of favourable conditions and opportunities for the unit today.” The plant is located on 772 acres. It has a township with about 400 quarters on 170 acres. About 1,500 acres for 48 million tonnes limestone deposits are available, Mr.Rao said, seeking to highlight enough water and 2 KVL electricity supply readily available for the unit.
Assuring the State government’s support in reopening the unit, the Minister had said “all the facilities and subsidies given to a new company will be provided to CCI, if reopened.” He also referred to how with construction industry on a boom the demand for cement will remain high.
Published - May 17, 2022 09:08 pm IST
