Industries and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao has urged the Central government to take steps to revive the Cement Corporation of India (CCI) unit at Adilabad which had been closed.
In a letter addressed to Union Major Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey, the Minister said several representations made in the past had not yielded positive response. The State government was prepared to extent its cooperation and support if the Centre decided to revive the plant.
The plant was set up at a cost of ₹47 crore in 1984 and the campus was spread over a sprawling 772-acre stretch, including a township constructed on over 170 acres. The plant catered to the cement needs of north Telangana, Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.
ADVERTISEMENT
However, operations of the plant stopped in 1996 because of lack of funds and it was closed in 2008 after the employees were offered voluntary retirement scheme. The employees however approached the court which ordered a status quo on the issue. There were still 75 employees on the company’s rolls, he said.
Mr. Rama Rao said CCI continued to have captive mining lease of 48 million tonnes of lime stone on an area spread over 1,500 acres and the plant had dedicated power supply through 32 kVA connection as well as availability of water. The Singareni Collieries Company Limited had expressed its willingness to meet the coal requirements of the plant. The available infrastructure and facilities should be seen as positive aspects for revival of the plant and the Centre should take steps accordingly, he added.