West Bengal: Govt to take over Dunlop, Jessop

In a bid to woo voters on the eve of the Assembly Elections, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced that her government would take over two ailing companies — Dunlop and Jessop — owned by industrialist Pawan Ruia. The TMC government is now trying to table a bill at the House on Saturday.

Participating in the discussion on governor Keshari Nath Tripathi’s address in the House of the Assembly, Ms Banerjee informed her government’s first ever move to take over two private companies at one go. She said, “I have good news to share with you. Our government will take over Dunlop and Jessop in the interest of the labourers and common people.”

The two companies’ management was earlier asked to run them smoothly, she said, “Since they ignored, we have decided to take over the two companies.”

When Leader of the Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra asked the chief minister if the government would table any bill to take over the two companies, Ms Banerjee assured him of taking all the necessary steps.

Owned by Ruia Group, Dunlop, a tyre manufacturer and Jessop, an engineering and railway wagon manufacturer, have their plants in Hooghly, Mysore and Chennai and Dum Dum respectively. Both the companies, ever since they were taken over by Ruia Group in 2005, have witnessed several closures and reopening.

The chief minister reasoned the Centre also decided to take over tea gardens owned by Duncans Group in North Bengal. “I welcome it,” she added. Later, a decision on Dunlop and Jessop was passed in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Ms Banerjee in the Assembly.

Parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee said the Cabinet approved that the government would take the management control of Dunlop and Jessop. “The take-over of the two companies will be discussed in the Assembly business advisory (BA) committee meeting on Saturday morning. We are trying to table the bill in the House after the recess,” he said.

The people of the state would welcome the chief minister’s initiative to revive sick industries, Mr Chatterjee added. Trinamul Congress MLA and Hooghly district president of the party Tapan Dasgupta described the chief minister’s move as “historic.”

But Dr Mishra wondered, “Does she understand the meaning of take-over How will her government take over the two private companies The tea-gardens’ take-over is the outcome of a conspiracy by the state and Central governments and Duncans Group. It is my apprehension that Dunlop and Jessop will receive the same fate.”

He, however, assured that the Left would cooperate with the government in reopening the closed factories. “We will decide the course of our action if the take-over of Dunlop and Jessop is passed in the BA committee meeting,” he explained.