Nagpur: Weighing in tonnes and reportedly costing around Rs50 crore, heavy machinery have mysteriously gone missing from the abandoned plant of Maharashtra Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Limited (MAPL), Nagpur.The plant was shut in 2002 but the machines were intact till its revival plan was announced in 2015, well-placed sources told TOI.
The security agency which deployed guards at the plant claimed complaints were lodged many times about theft of machinery in 2016.
A former nominee director, employees of the plant along with leader of opposition in assembly, Devendra Fadnavis, had demanded that manufacturing of vaccines and medicines related to Covid-19 be started from this plant located in Hingna MIDC.Following an intervention filed by former employee and factory’s union leader Suresh Gotmare pleading for resumption of the plant for production of Covid-19 vaccine and Remdesivir, the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court on May 4 had directed the central and state government to submit replies.
On May 14, Hindustan Antibiotics Limited, the central government company which had started the plant, had expressed its inability to resume operations citing problem of skilled manpower and other issues.
Guardian minister Nitin Raut had reportedly directed joint director of industries AP Dharmadhikari to inspect the plant and submit a report on its revival for Covid vaccine and medicines.Dharmadhikari along with Gotmare and representative of former nominee director in MAPL — Environmental Engineering Inc (EEI) — Sudhir Paliwal visited the plant on May 17.
“Dharmadhikari reported to Raut that not a single machinery was found at the plant.
Raut did not give further directives,” said an official from the industries department.TOI visited the plant along with Gotmare and found no machinery there.
Paliwal and Gotmare told TOI that the machinery would today cost around Rs50 crore.
“machinery were made in Germany and have a long life.
The machinery weigh in tonnes and were on all three floors (G+2) of the building.
Along with machinery, heavy injectable lines are also missing,” they said.Suspecting that it is not a job of any ordinary thief, they demanded a thorough police investigation and registering offences against those responsible for the theft.
“Public money was spent for these machinery.
It also means big setback to revival of plant,” they said.Gotmare added HAL should be held responsible as the plant was in its custody.
“The main gate of the plant is on Hingna main road.
There is a compound wall and the premises has dense trees.
Investigation should also find out who could benefit if the plant cannot be revived,” he said.Production of dry powder, liquid injections, tablet, capsule etc was started at the plant in May 1981.
“After it was shut in 2002, employees still came to the plant till 2004 and were offered voluntary separation scheme,” said Gotmare.On August 21, 2015, the then Union minister of state for chemicals and fertilizers, Hansraj Ahir, along with city MP and Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Fadnavis (then the CM) had held a programme at MAPL plant and announced its revival.
Ahir also declared Rs100 crore package.Paliwal said he was invited to the programme.
“The ministers and I had found the machinery in working condition at that time,” he said.Bombay Security Services of Amravati were in charge of the plant in 2002.
Agency owner Ramesh Upadhyay said, “HAL had appointed 15 security guards from 2002 to 2015.
For reasons known to HAL, it was reduced to only three from 2015.
We had lodged complaints with MIDC police station about theft of machinery in 2016 several times.
Police only caught a few local thieves once,” he said.Gotmare raised question over machinery going missing after 2015 and not between 2004 and 2015.
Fadnavis said he had recently written to the Union minister to consider HAL’s plants at Nagpur and Pune for manufacturing of vaccine.
“I don’t have any information about machinery going missing.
If it’s true, then it’s a serious crime and should be dealt with an iron hand,” he told TOI.Managing director of HAL Nirja Saraf said the machines were neither shifted nor disposed of.
Saraf claimed police complaints about theft of machinery were lodged in 2015-16.
“I joined HAL in October 2016 and for details I will have to look into the files,” she said.As per report of Committee on Public Undertakings submitted in Lok Sabha on January 29, 2021, and on the same date in Rajya Sabha, NBCC (India) Limited was appointed/being appointed as land management agency and MSTC Limited as auctioning agency.
These information was given by HAL to the committee.Paliwal said, “MSTC Limited deals with disposing of scrap and condemned plants.
It means HAL on record confirmed there were machinery in MAPL plant till January this year,” he said.The MAPL plant sits on a sprawling 12.5 acres land taken on lease from MIDC for 95 years from 1979.Paliwal said NBCC was appointed for disposing of the land.The PI of MIDC police station Yuvraj Hande said he was not posted at the police station in 2016.
“I don’t remember any such complaint since joining here.
I will have to check the records,” he said.Ahir refused to comment on machinery going missing from the plant stating it falls “under Gadkari’s constituency”.
A message and call to Gadkari’s office went unanswered.
ALL ABOUT MAPL* MAPL, Nagpur, was incorporated in 1979 as subsidiary of HAL, for manufacturing of dry powder, liquid injections, tablets, capsules etc* Gets 12.5 acres land on lease at Hingna MIDC for 95 years* MAPL starts production in 1981* Plant shuts in 2002?? Same year, HAL appointed security agency with 15 guards till 2015* From 2015, HAL reduces security guards to 3* HAL informed Committee on Public Undertakings about appointment of government agencies for land management and auctioning agency in January this year