The delay in merger of Bharath Heavy Plate and Vessels Ltd (BHPV) with Bharath Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) is costing rate contract vendors dearly.
About 25 ancillary units who undertake structural and fabrication works for Visakhapatnam-based BHPV are in deep distress due to delay in settlement of bills.
Now BHPV is totally dependent on Trichy unit of BHEL for its survival. BHPV, which was earlier part of Bharat Yantra Nigam Limited, was made the holding company of BHEL nearly five years ago.
Increase in rate contracts by 20 per cent was rejected by the officials due to the present predicament. Delay in issuing raw material to the vendors is also a matter of concern as it upsets their delivery schedule. Bills amounting to a few crore of rupees have not been settled for past three months.
The aggrieved vendors approached Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeswari on Saturday for her intervention and submitted a representation to her. The Minister promised to look into the matter.
“We want the immediate convening of plant level committee meeting to discuss and sort out our problems to encourage small scale units set up by local entrepreneurs,” said Ramakrishna Narappareddy, president of Visakha Autonagar Small Scale Industrialists Welfare Association.
