UPA government neglecting small scale sector: Buddha

DURGAPUR - Coming down heavily on India’s ruling United Progressive Alliance for neglecting the recession-hit small scale sector, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Saturday said the central government seemed only concerned with big companies like Satyam.

‘The small scale sector is very badly hit. They need relief. But the government seems only concerned with the problems in Satyam,’ Bhattacharjee said after inaugurating a new wire plant here.

‘I ask the government, is it sufficient to think only about Satyam? What about the carpet-makers, who are facing the consequences of the economic slump?’ he said.

The chief minister said he has already urged the centre to led a helping hand to the small scale sector. ‘Tomorrow (Sunday) I will meet (acting finance minister) Pranab Mukherjee. I will again speak to him on this.’

The 30,000 million tonne (MT) per annum plant set up at an investment of Rs.2.75 billion by Ramsarup Industries Ltd will take the company’s overall wire capacity to 300,000 MT per annum.

The new single line wire plant has been imported from Europe and is first of its kind in India. These wires will be used mainly in infrastructure like high-rise constructions, bridges, roads, railway sleepers and concrete poles, a top company official said.

‘With major initiatives announced by the Railway Minister (Lalu Yadav) in the last railway budget, Indian railways will be a very big customer of Ramsarup,’ he said.

The group currently employes about 2,500 people directly and 15,000 people indirectly.

Ramsarup is already producing Steel at its Kharagpur plant and the company’s Electric Arc Furnace of capacity of 700,000 MT per annum will commence production during Q2 2009-2010.

The group has invested approx Rs.15 billion during the last two years in the state.