Heavy Engineering Corporation in Ranchi was inaugurated by the country’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 15 November 1963 on the day of Diwali. But, today, in the premises of its huge factories, there is a deep darkness of gloom and despair.
चंद्रयान से गगनयान तक के उपकरण बनाने वाले HEC कर्मी बेहाल, कोई लिट्टी-चोखा बेच रहा तो कोई चला रहा ऑटो
After factory duty, some set up a litti-chokha cart on the footpath and some drive an auto taken on loan. Some have taken up the job of part time food delivery boy and some have set up momo-burger stalls. These are the people who have made many equipment including the launching pad for Chandrayaan-3. ISRO’s next project Gaganyaan’s launching pad and the assignment of making many equipments are also to be completed on the basis of these people who are struggling for livelihood.
These people are the employees of that Public Sector Undertaking named HEC (Heavy Engineering Corporation), which has been famous as Mother of All Industries in the country. Heavy Engineering Corporation in Ranchi was inaugurated by the country’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 15 November 1963 on the day of Diwali. But, today, in the premises of its huge factories, there is a deep darkness of gloom and despair.
The company which started with around 22 thousand employees now has 3400 employee-officers. The debt and burden on the company is such that they have not received salary for 17-18 months. Gaurav Singh, who worked in HEC after doing engineering from IIT Madras, says that due to financial constraints, he sold all the household items and sent his family to the village.
Engineer Ganesh Dutt is also in depression due to lack of money. He has also left his wife and children at his in-laws house. Vinod Kumar, who works as an electrician, runs a cycle repairing shop in Sector-4 of Dhurva. He says that he has two daughters and a son. Daughter wants to get married, but is not able to do it due to lack of money. The financial condition of the house is very bad.
Arvind Singh had taken a loan two years back for his daughter’s marriage. Due to non-payment of loan, now the liability has almost doubled. Harihar Baraik, who works as a molding worker at HEC’s foundry forge plant, drives a part-time e-rickshaw and is able to make two meals a day at home. Shailesh Kumar alias Deepu Lal, who works in the technical unit of HEC, has opened a small furniture shop in Jaypee Market.
Ved Prakash Singh, General Secretary of HEC Labor Union, says that every employee working here is now dependent on pie-pie. We are constantly pleading with the government for help, but no hearing is being held. HEC Labor Union General Secretary Ramashankar Prasad says that many engineers are leaving after resigning, perhaps the government wants people to leave on their own.
Senior manager Hrishikesh Kumar says that we are pleading from MP to President. Life has become very difficult. Every employee working here is in debt. A company official says that the company still has a work order of about Rs 1,200 crore, but the company does not have working capital to fulfill the work order. HEC has also received orders to manufacture several equipment including launching pads, tower cranes, horizontal sliding doors for ISRO’s upcoming ambitious project Gaganyaan.
Let us inform that HEC currently has liabilities of more than 1200 crores, which are increasing everyday. Among the liabilities, vendors have 140.11 crore, government loan 117.58 crore, bank loan 202.93 crore, CISF 121 crore, electricity bill 153.83 crore, salary 38.28 crore, contract workers 15.94 crore, arrears 4.89 crore 48.06 crore in water charges, 37.89 crore in security deposit and 37.45 crore in other items. On March 31, 2023, the HEC management, giving information about its liabilities to the Ministry of Heavy Industry, requested financial assistance, but the central government has already refused to help.
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