HEC: Results awaited

Ranchi, Oct. 19: Union heavy industries secretary Ramesh Chandra Panda today met chief secretary M.K. Mandal to end the stalemate over Heavy Engineering Corporation Limited (HEC) handing over surplus land to the state government.

Panda, who arrived in Ranchi today for a two-day visit to HEC, met the chief secretary this afternoon at Project Bhavan. HEC chairman-cum-managing director Soumen Biswas accompanied Panda to the meeting.

The secretary is slated to meet trade union leaders tomorrow morning before flying back to Delhi.

Later, chief secretary Mandal said the Union heavy industries ministry was trying to ascertain the extent of land that could be handed over to the state government as part of a swap deal. The visiting secretary said surplus land would be calculated on the basis of HEC’s expansion plans and requirements, Mandal added.

Once the surplus land is identified, the matter was likely to be referred to the Union cabinet for concurrence before the plots are transferred to the state government. The matter could also be taken up for discussion at the ministerial levels, the chief secretary said.

The state government had earlier announced a package of Rs 1,000 crore, including a write-off of Rs 702.5 crore to cover HEC’s power, commercial taxes and water tax dues. Another Rs 152.8 crore was also included in the package. As compensation for the parting with the land, the government was willing to pay HEC Rs 1.60 crore. In exchange, the government had wanted the corporation to hand over the surplus land it has.

It is estimated that HEC has around 3,200 acres of excess land.