The Union Minister of Steel and Heavy Industries Mr. H.D. Kumaraswamy has promised that consideration will be given for revival of the State-owned HMT Machine & Tools (HMT MTL) with measures taken to recover and protect its immovable assets.
“It will be fully considered for revitalisation… a way forward will be sought under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision,” he said after visiting the HMT MTL unit here along with Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma.
In dire straits
Mr.Kumaraswamy, who toured the facility and was briefed on condition of large machinery by concerned officers, said that since being appointed as the Minister of Heavy Industries he had held several talks on HMT. “I visited the units in Bengaluru and in Pinjore, Haryana… HMT units across the country face the same issue. In Hyderabad, HMT MTL was in a good position a few years ago and used to manufacture, including for ISRO, defence and other sectors. Due to several reasons, it encountered difficulties,” he said.
The Minister met both serving and retired workers besides having a meeting with management where guarantees were made about what will follow next concerning any encroached-on national lands owned by HMT. “In many places, the company has a large land [parcels]. There is illegal encroachment in some places. The encroached land will be confiscated through legal action,” he said.
He gave instructions to officials in this regard according to a statement released on his visit last Friday. He assured that all concerns raised by staff would be addressed with relevant authorities. Present were Rajesh Kohli who is CMD of the company as well as Rajababu head of department.
