Without salary for over a year, HEC employees seek redressal, may move court read full article at worldnews365.me

Round 1,300 employees of Heavy Engineering Company (HEC), the PSU that some years in the past constructed a launch pad for ISRO, haven’t been paid their salaries for over a yr forcing them to reside in penury, and now they’ve threatened to maneuver court docket if the difficulty is just not addressed quickly.

The staff alleged that due to this example, they’re unable to pay their kids’s schooling charges or deal with ailing relations correctly, and a few of them together with officers have began promoting fruits or tea to make each ends meet.

Staff and officers of the Ranchi-based PSU have fashioned a mixed discussion board, HEC Adhikari Evam Karmachari Jankalyan Sangh, to battle the battle.

Its president Prem Shankar Paswan informed PTI that they’ve drawn the eye of President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, the NHRC and others to their plight by way of emails on January 23.

“If our problem is not resolved soon, we will have to move court in February,” Mr. Paswan stated.

The whole wage due for officers is for 15 months whereas that for staff is for 12 months, stated Subhash Chandra, a deputy supervisor rank official.

The chairman and managing director of BHEL, who sits in Delhi, holds the extra cost of CMD of HEC. The official didn’t reply to telephone calls, messages and e-mail by PTI until the publication of this report.

The corporate, arrange in 1958, was one of many main suppliers of capital gear in India for metal, mining, railways, energy, defence, area analysis, nuclear and strategic sectors.

Workers are staging protests in opposition to non-payment of salaries since November 2022.

“My mother died without treatment. My senior colleague’s wife died and he had no money to hire a vehicle to carry her body so he took it inside a car trunk. Shopkeepers don’t give us goods on credit. We can’t afford to send kids to school. We will die here,” Shashi Kumar, 35, a deputy manager at HEC, broke down while talking to PTI.

Despite several revival attempts and the High Court of Jharkhand directing the central and state governments to look into the problems, the situation at HEC did not improve.

Ramjanam Sharma, a employee of Heavy Engineering Company (HEC) Ltd., sells fruits.
| Picture Credit score:
PTI

A employee, Ramjanam Sharma, stated he ekes out by promoting fruits whereas a number of others together with IIT pass-outs are compelled to promote tea, fritters or flowers for existence.

Purnendu Dutt Mishra, 37, who’s a supervisor at HEC, stated: “India used to import ISRO’s launching pad at much higher rates. In 2005-06, we got an order. An organisation hidden in the country provided the indigenously built launching pad at much less price.”

After the launch of GSLV Mark III on December 18, 2014, the PSU had said in a statement: “It is a matter of great pride for HEC to have contributed to the Second Launch Pad Project of ISRO at Sriharikota. With every launch from the second launch pad, ISRO makes HEC proud.”

Mr. Mishra alleged that mismanagement, corruption and bad policies were behind the plight of HEC.

“In contrast to personal organisations, we do not work for revenue however work for the nation. We now have saved an enormous overseas trade,” he stated.

Dr. Rana S. Chakravarty, who retired from HEC as Director of Advertising on January 16, is protecting his fingers crossed that the corporate shall be again on observe.

“HEC has played a stellar role in India’s growth… We are focussing on certain specific areas. We have a ₹1300 crore work order… Hopefully, it will be on track again,” he stated.

Based on the HEC’s newest annual report, the corporate bagged orders totalling over ₹188 crore in FY 21-22.

“However, the pending up-gradation / modernisation, as well as severe stress of working capital and impact of COVID-19, adversely affected the financial performance of the company and it could achieve turnover of ₹184.69 crore against ₹202.76 crore during the previous year,” it stated.

HEC registered a internet lack of ₹256.07 crore in 2021-22.

“Frequent breakdown of the ageing machinery has affected the execution of orders while also indirectly affecting the cash flow cycle,” the annual report stated.