The Telegraph
Ess Dee Aluminium clashes with Calcutta Port Trust
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
2 min read
Mumbai-based Ess Dee Aluminium has locked horns with the Calcutta Port Trust (CPT) over its proposal to revive a worn-out unit on a five-acre plot at Taratala.
The company, owned by Bengali entrepreneur Sudeep Dutta, has sought the state government’s help to open the plant that once belonged to India Foils. It has written to the industry department for assistance to get back the CPT land.
India Foils had three units in Bengal — Kamarhati in North 24 Parganas, Howra in Hooghly and Taratala in Calcutta. The Aluminium-foil maker had fallen into hard times and was referred to the BIFR before being taken over by Ess Dee in 2008.
Since then, Dutta has been instrumental in opening two of the closed units at a cumulative investment of nearly Rs 350 crore over two years. The Kamarhati and Howra units now employ over 1,500 people.
The company wants to revive the Taratala unit but its effort has hit legal and bureaucratic hurdles.
According to Ess Dee, the CPT has refused to renew the lease even after it agreed to pay off the old dues. The port owed Rs 7 crore as on March 31, 2011.
The new owner plans to use the five acres to make Aluminium foils for fast moving consumer goods. Reviving the unit will require an investment of around Rs 200 crore, and the plant can employ around 300 people.
“I have proved my credential by reviving these two units. Ess Dee has 11 units across the country. I took over India Foils both for business reason as well as with an urge to do something for my state,” Dutta, who is the chairman of Ess Dee, said.
Bengal industries minister Partha Chatterjee has promised help. “Let them come and meet me. I am confident that a way out can be found,” he said.
However, the task of securing the plot from the CPT will be far from easy. A CPT official said the port was in the process of retendering the land, and Ess Dee could not expect any leeway in this matter because it was never a lessee.
The past lease for the plot was with India Foils, and it had expired in 2002. At present, the plot is under the CPT even though the plant and machinery of the company are lying inside.
The company, owned by Bengali entrepreneur Sudeep Dutta, has sought the state government’s help to open the plant that once belonged to India Foils. It has written to the industry department for assistance to get back the CPT land.
India Foils had three units in Bengal — Kamarhati in North 24 Parganas, Howra in Hooghly and Taratala in Calcutta. The Aluminium-foil maker had fallen into hard times and was referred to the BIFR before being taken over by Ess Dee in 2008.
Since then, Dutta has been instrumental in opening two of the closed units at a cumulative investment of nearly Rs 350 crore over two years. The Kamarhati and Howra units now employ over 1,500 people.
The company wants to revive the Taratala unit but its effort has hit legal and bureaucratic hurdles.
According to Ess Dee, the CPT has refused to renew the lease even after it agreed to pay off the old dues. The port owed Rs 7 crore as on March 31, 2011.
The new owner plans to use the five acres to make Aluminium foils for fast moving consumer goods. Reviving the unit will require an investment of around Rs 200 crore, and the plant can employ around 300 people.
“I have proved my credential by reviving these two units. Ess Dee has 11 units across the country. I took over India Foils both for business reason as well as with an urge to do something for my state,” Dutta, who is the chairman of Ess Dee, said.
Bengal industries minister Partha Chatterjee has promised help. “Let them come and meet me. I am confident that a way out can be found,” he said.
However, the task of securing the plot from the CPT will be far from easy. A CPT official said the port was in the process of retendering the land, and Ess Dee could not expect any leeway in this matter because it was never a lessee.
The past lease for the plot was with India Foils, and it had expired in 2002. At present, the plot is under the CPT even though the plant and machinery of the company are lying inside.
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