Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Sunday promised to make serious efforts to revive Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Ltd. (VISL) and the watch manufacturing company Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT).
Addressing a gathering at a felicitation function organised in his honour at K.R. Pet in Mandya district on Sunday, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he had already visited the VISL factory, established in Bhadravati by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore, that has now been closed, with a view to revive it.
He pointed out that thousands of families from Pandavapura, K.R. Pet, and Nagamangala in Mandya district were residing around Bhadravati town in Shivamogga district and promised that he would make efforts to ensure that VISL is not only revived but also runs for another 50 years, providing livelihood to about 8,000 to 10,000 families.
He regretted that HMT, which pioneered watch manufacturing in India, had become “inactive”. He recalled that the watchmaker, which provided employment to about 13,000 people, had made a profit of around ₹279 crore in 1970. By the same standards, the public sector factory should now be making profits in the range of ₹25,000 crore to ₹30,000 crore, he said while lamenting its present condition.
HMT, which is headquartered in Bengaluru, had units in six other places across the country, including Hyderabad, Kerala, and Ajmer, Mr. Kumaraswamy pointed out and said he had visited the units to explore the possibilities of reviving the old glory of the iconic watchmaker.
Mr. Kumaraswamy said he wished to establish three or four factories in Mandya district to provide the youth employment avenues in addition to agriculture. However, he said he needed about six to seven months more to come up with a programme for the same.
Responding to demands of K.R. Pet’s JD(S) MLA H.T. Manju for the development of the Srirangapatna–Arsikere road and a railway line linking K.R. Pet with Channarayapatna, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he had already held discussions with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw with regard to development projects.
However, he would be able to take forward proposals only after the Union Budget is presented and funds are allocated to various departments. He promised to keep in mind not only the comprehensive development of all parts of Mandya, but the entire State.
Mr. Manju, former Minister K.C. Narayana Gowda, and a host of JD(S) leaders were also present on the occasion.
