Basu May Take Up Dunlop Issue With Chidambaram

The West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu will meet P J Rao, executive director of Shaw Wallace. Rao is also a member of the interim panel which was constituted to look into Dunlop's affairs after the resignation of managing director M D Shukla.

"The chief minister informed us that after talking to Rao, he would take up the Dunlop issue with the union finance minister, P Chidambaram, on February 17," a spokesman for the unions that met Jyoti Basu said.

Both the Sahaganj unions which are affiliated to INTUC and CITU, and the head-office union, the All India Dunlop Employees Federation (AIDEF) called on the chief minister. They were accompanied by member of parliament Rupchand Pal.

 

"The chief minister said he was fully aware of Chhabria's corrupt tendencies and would request the finance companies to go easy on the debts Dunlop owes to them," the union spokesman said.

Representatives of the unions also informed the chief minister of their plight and the seemingly downward plunge the company has fallen into, the spokesman said .

"If something is not done it will not be long before a large number of people will be left without a livelihood," the spokesman added. Dunlop's total labour strength stands at around 9,000. The Sahaganj unit alone has about 4,500 workers.

Currently production at Dunlop's units all over the country is about 30 per cent the spokesman said. "Our break-even point is around 78 per cent," he added.

According to the spokesman, production at the Sahaganj unit has stopped, except for the steel cord and aero section.

The unions said they had no problems with Chhabria's efforts to sell off the Mumbai depot.

"We want the money to be invested here. However, without government interference we feel we will not be seeing any of the money being put to good use," the spokesman added.

Another minor crisis yesterday cropped up at Dunlop. Although the finished products have been loaded on to the lorries for despatch to various depots, as there were no provisions for excise duty, the vehicles can not leave the factory premises.

PLEASE INCLUDE THIS IN AN IN-SET BOX.

According to union sources, Komal Chhabria Wazir, Chhabria's daughter and a member of the interim panel has flown to Dubai along with M H Godwani, Chhabria's son-in-law and also a non-executive director of Dunlop. The unions feel they have gone to brief Manu Chhabria on the latest developments.