Sohra MLA, Gavin Miguel Mylliem on Monday expressed concern over the inability of the State-owned cement factory in Meghalaya, Mawmluh Cherra Cement Limited (MCCL) to function in a professional manner and suggested a slew of measures that would help revamp the public sector undertaking (PSU) of the Government.
“A lot of measures are required to make the sick MCCL function in a professional manner,” Mylliem told reporters here.
Suggesting some of the measures that would help revamp the ailing MCCL, the Sohra MLA said, “There must be a team of consultant having expertise in the dry process plant, technical expert to look into frequent breakdown of plant machinery, streamline the manufacturing, production and sale operation among others.”
He also said that the MCCL has been there as a factory since 1955 during the undivided Assam, Mylliem regretted the inability of the factory to function in a way that would sustain its operation and generate a long term benefit to the people.
The government in the past had found that the MCCL were facing the crisis due to the presence of too many employees, which caused a financial burden on the state-owned company.
On June 7, 2016, the Meghalaya Cabinet had approved a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for 145 out of 445 employees of the MCCL and earmarked Rs 22.3 crore to facilitate the employees to retire voluntarily in a bid to revamp the state-owned company.
However the cement factory could not function in a professional manner and continues to run at a loss.
Pointing out that there was nobody in the past where the MCCL has to compete with in the market, the Sohra MLA, however, said that now, the MCCL has to compete with other private cement factories in the State adding that the state PSU requires marketing experts too.
The MLA also stressed that apart from the wage board category employees, the non wage board category employees of MCCL should also function from Sohra and not from Shillong.
As of now, the MCCL has its office in Shillong in which its officials including the managing director are functioning from Shillong.
Mylliem said that he has taken up the matter with the Chief Minister recently adding that the MCCL chairman, H Brolding Nongsiej, would also soon convene a meeting to discuss the issue.
The MCCL in 2005 had conceptualized an expansion project for an addition of the dry process plant with total production of 600 tonnes per day.