Mamata writes to PM Modi, urges to reverse corporatisation of ordnance factories

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to stall and reverse the process of corporatisation of ordnance factories in Kolkata.

"I have been receiving reports about a decision that the government has apparently been taking to corporatise all ordnance factories, including Ordnance Factory Board. I request you to stall and reverse the process in the greater interest of national security," Banerjee wrote in the letter.

Further, she said, "Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) with its headquarters in the Ayudh Bhavan, Kolkata, is the world's largest government set-up for manufacturing arms and ammunition for a country's armed forces. It has often been called the fourth pillar of the Indian defence apparatus."

"Founded in 1775, the set-up now includes 41 factories all over the country, 9 training institutes, about 1.6 lakh officers and employees, and it produces a vast range of arms and equipment that enable our soldiers to guard our frontiers," she added.

While stating how shocked and surprised she was that not even an iota of stakeholders consultation took place till now, she said: "At least the government of West Bengal has not received any inkling of discourses that have led to such inexplicable initiatives in the Government of India."

"While the industrial policy of our country has gradually been made more and more friendly to the private players in the market, there are some core and strategic areas where the state is yet to abdicate its paramount role," the letter further read.