Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) will at last get its long overdue payment for handing over its land and buildings to accommodate the state Assembly, secretariat and quarters for the state government employees since the new state of Jharkhand was carved out from erstwhile Bihar in November 2000.
The Governor Syed Sibtey Razi and his advisors, in a recent meeting, recently sanctioned Rs 275 crore for HEC, a sum the state government had promised in the past but had not paid so far.
They also waived dues of Rs 547 crore against delay in power surcharge till August 2008 and Rs 306 crore for power consumption till December 2006, besides the corporation’s outstanding dues of Rs 32 crore to the state drinking water and sanitation department.
HEC will have to surrender over 2300 acres of its surplus land to the state government, barring a part of it currently under illegal occupation, which it will have to be surrender later.
In September last, the then Chief Minister Shibu Soren had announced that the state government would pay HEC Rs 100 crore as an ad-hoc payment.
This money did not come even after a couple of months and then the state came under President’s rule.
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HEC decided to approach the Governor who has been at the helm of the state’s affairs since imposition of President’s rule on January 19.
Centre had fixed a production target of Rs 465 crore for HEC but the PSU had set its own production target of Rs 500 crore.
Besides, it also plans to venture into atomic energy sector equipment manufacture.
According to CMD, G K Pillai, HEC urgently needed the fund for its restructuring plans that included executing present work orders and taking up major capital maintenance jobs.