The number of employees at West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation (WBEIDC) subsidiary Webel Communication Industries Limited (Webcom) fell from 58 to 25 over three years, prompting the state government to announce that it would have to stop operations soon.
“It would not be possible for the government to run the loss-making Webel Communication Industries following criticism from Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG),” said Debesh Das, West Bengal minister for Information Technology (IT), on the sidelines of the ninth ICT East summit, organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CII) here today.
The minister went on to say that he could not disobey CAG recommendations.
“Sustaining work with the present number of employees would be tough. If the situation persists, then we will have to stop,” said Sidharth, principal secretary, department of Information Technology (IT) Government of West Bengal.
The company manufactures electronic push-button telephones. The government’s share in Webcom is to 29 per cent. The company had a staff strength of 58 in 2007.
Permanent employees opted for voluntary retirement services (VRS), reducing the total number of employees to 25. Many among the ones that retired were appointed again in other departments of WBEIDC on contractual service.
