Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 2: After years of downfall, the Union Government’s Department of Heavy Industries (DHI) has officially wound up the operations of Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) watch factories in Srinagar and Jammu after approving the retirement of 27 employees under Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS).
An official said the approval was issued in favour of 30 employees out of which 22 were stationed at Zainakote and eight in Bari Brahamna. “However, only 27 have been allowed to go because they are from worker cadre while three others, who are officers, will stay for a while. These officers are signatory authority but after sometime they too will be relieved from their services,” said the official.
The employees had long back applied for the retirement under VRS and finally on January 31 they got an approval. A former employee who too had applied for retirement said they were without salary from past 10 months. “Now, Centre will release our withheld salary and we will also avail the benefits of VRS,” he said.
The HMT is also winding up their operations at Bengaluru, Uttarakhand and Tamur watch factories. Sources said the HMT is now pulling out of watch business and shall concentrate on machine tools and machinery.
The foundation stone of HMT Watch factory in Zainakote here was laid by former Chief Minister, Ghulam Mohammad Sadiq and it began its operations in 1975. A senior official told Excelsior that the then Government had allotted 400 kanals of land virtually free of cost to the concerned authorities to establish the factory for the economic empowerment of the people. The HMT’s Bari Brahamna factory, he said, was also established in 1990 with the same motto of uplifting the Kashmiri migrants economically.
Besides other factors, the official blamed the Government’s disinterest in running the HMT Watch factories as reason for downfall and ultimately closure.
The official said ’80s was the time when the Zainakote factory was heading towards mature period and its production reached 8 lakh from 2 lakh. “It was the time when we needed good managers. However, the good people left the company and joined multi-national companies as they were offered huge salaries,” he said.
Referring to the glorious past of the HMT Watch factory in Srinagar, he said even former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah had appreciated the work culture that was prevalent there. “The workers were fetching good salaries. There was a labour discipline and this was the first institute where we had the punching system. Our thirty percent workers were females and it was significant. The shift working started from here and there was a different environment,” he said, adding: “unfortunately this (closure) was our fate and we have accepted it.”
As the HMT Watch factory finally headed towards closure, the infrastructure at Zainkote is lying useless. The official expressed hope that the Central Reserve Police Force – which has occupied a large portion of the HMT Factory since 2010 – would vacate it and Government would establish a new project there.
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