An agitation being staged by the employees of Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML) against the Central government decision to privatise the public sector company completed 601 days on Tuesday. Marking the 600 th day of the agitation, the employees took a pledge to protect the public sector land from falling into private hands at Kanjikode on Monday.
CITU State secretary K.N. Gopinath inaugurated the 600 th day agitation. CITU district president P.K. Sasi presided over the function. They demanded that the Central government withdraw from its move to privatise BEML considering the country’s security and the ongoing protest by the employees.
It was on January 6, 2021, that employees under the banner of the BEML Employees Association began an indefinite agitation in front of BEML at Kambanippadi, Kanjikode, two days after the Central government invited expression of interest to disinvest 26% shares of the BEML.
Welcoming the protestors on the 600 th day, BEML Employees Association general secretary Gireesh S. said the government would harm the country’s interests by selling the profit-making public sector undertaking to private parties.
CITU State committee member S.B. Raju administered the pledge to protect the government land. CITU district treasurer T.K. Achuthan, NGO Union district secretary K. Santhosh Kumar, Kerala School Teachers Association district secretary M.R. Mahesh Kumar, BEML Employees Association working president Vasant Kumar, and CITU Pudussery division secretary K. Suresh, spoke.
The agitation saw many episodes in the last 20 months, including a human chain, a people’s parliament, a people’s court, and several rallies. The Central government, however, did not heed as the employees continued their protest even during the COVID-19 times.
Asia’s second largest manufacturer of earth-moving equipment, the profit-making mini ratna PSU has plants in Bengaluru, Kolar, Mysuru and Palakkad.
Although there had been a move by the first Narendra Modi government to disinvest BEML in 2016, the BJP government had to withdraw from the decision because of severe opposition. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written to Mr. Modi a few months ago not to privatise BEML, pointing out the PSU’s excellent performance in global competition.
The State government has begun a move to take back the excess land given to BEML at Kanjikode. MPs from different States, including Kerala, had raised allegations of corruption behind the move to sell of BEML. They had pointed out that the government was trying to disinvest the PSU without even assessing the value of its assets.
“The asset value of BEML Kanjikode unit is ₹56,000 crore. The government is trying to sell it for ₹1,500 crore. The motive is very simple,” said Mr. Gireesh.
The Kanjikode unit has 375 acres of leased land given by the State government. It manufactures army vehicles, passenger railway coaches, and metro coaches. It has 350 permanent employees and 150 contract workers. It has already churned out 1,500-odd heavy military trucks, 300 railway coaches and 500-odd metro bogies. The unit, according to BEML officials, is equipped to produce 500 metro bogies a year.
