It is heart-rending to read about the closure of the prestigious HMT watch factories (“It is stopwatch for iconic HMT”, April 1), which seems to be a decision made in haste. The management and trade unions should have stepped up their efforts to save the company. When there is so much emphasis on “Make in India”, couldn’t HMT have reinvented itself?
S. Meenakshi Sundaram,
Pavoorchatram, Tamil Nadu
The closure is a wake-up call to other government-owned institutions and industries that complacency in being status quo-ist has to be shunned for survival. However one need not be pessimistic with a rigid view that public sector enterprises are white elephants from the perspective of the country’s economy since there are many public sector units (PSU) which are consistent achievers and performers. Their work culture and strategies have to be replicated in other organisations held by governments. Perhaps they could take over their “sick siblings” and help them to recover. Accountability, competency, discipline and speed to embrace modern day changes, and visibility in the market are what PSUs must look towards. The way the Department of Posts has revived itself is a case in point.
R. Bardinarayanan,
Bengaluru
