Ominous pattern of moving PSU from Kolkata, Amit Mitra writes to Dharmendra Pradhan
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The West Bengal Finance Minister cited a quantity of examples.
West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra on Friday wrote to Union Minister of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan alleging that there was an “ominous pattern of removing headquarters of public service undertaking (PSU) from Kolkata ever since the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government came to power”.
“Ever since your government came to office in Delhi, there is an ominous patter of removing headquarters of PSU from Kolkata which has been here for half a century and even a century.” Dr Mitra wrote within the letter addressed to the Union Minister.
The State’s Finance Minister cited a quantity of examples together with United Bank of India (UBI) to Delhi in 2020 and State Bank of India’s Central Accounts Hub from Kolkata to Mumbai in 2018.
“Corporate office of Hindustan Steel Works Construction Ltd (HSCL) was shifted from Kolkata to Delhi in 2017. Coal India shifted its subsidiary offices along with respective marketing and sales office of their subsidiaries, including those of Eastern Coalfields, Bharat Coking Coal, Central Coalfields, Southeastern Coalfields and Mahanadi Coalfields from Kolkata to cities in other states like Dhanbad, Bilaspur and Sambalpur in 2020,” the letter stated.
Dr. Mitra additionally expressed concern that there are apprehensions that the headquarters of some iconic establishments of central authorities can be moved out of Kolkata in close to future. He referred to apprehension of shifting of headquarters of Tea Board, which has been in Kolkata final 67 years, shifting of headquarters of Damodar Valley Corporation, National Insurance Company and closure of Calcutta Stock Exchange based in 1908.
Dr. Mitra in his earlier letter to Mr. Pradhan on June 16 had raised objections to dismantling of the Raw Materials Division (RMD) of Steel Authority of India Limited, headquartered in Kolkata. The State’s Finance Minister stated that he was shocked that the Union Minister has chosen not to handle the query.
“I reiterate that I am keenly awaiting your conformation that RMD, headquartered in Kolkata, will not be dismantled, thereby saving the lives and livelihood of scores of workers. West Bengal and its people must not be deprived in this manner,” he stated.
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