Employees of the Namrup-based Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation Limited (BVFCL) have urged the Central Government to fast track the process of setting up the fourth plant.
Talking to media persons in Dibrugarh, Tileswar Bora, general secretary of the Namrup Fertiliser Shramik Union (NFSU) said, “On October 15 last, the Centre had approved the proposal in-principle for setting up of the Namrup-IV project at BVFCL site on nomination basis proposing equity partnership of 52 per cent to Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Limited (RCFL), 26 per cent to Oil India Limited (OIL), 11 per cent to the Government of Assam and 11 per cent to BVFCL. We are waiting for Cabinet approval for the setting up of the fourth plant.”
He said that they are “positive” that this time the fourth Namrup plant would come up. On Tuesday, representatives of the Joint Council of Officers (JCO), NFSU and Fertiliser Workers’ Union Namrup (FWUN) met the Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at the Dibrugarh Circuit House and requested him to prevail upon the Centre to give the final Cabinet approval for setting up the fourth plant.
“We met the minister and urged him to take up the matter with the Centre pronto since it is in the greater interest of the State. His response was quite positive and he assured us of all help. Since the Centre has already given the in-principle approval for the project there should be no further delay. Work can start only after the Cabinet gives the final nod,” Bora further said.
BVFCL which was set up in 1969 has seen a rapid decline in production in recent years in its three fertiliser units (Namrup-1, Namrup-2, Namrup-3). In 1986, the ageing Namrup-1 plant was phased out by the authorities while the two operational plants, Namrup-2 and Namrup-3, set up in 1976 and 1987, respectively, has been producing less than 3.5 lakh metric tonnes of urea annually. The proposed fourth plant is expected to cost Rs 4,500 crore.