SHIMLA: As the blame game over the Adani Group Cement Factories Shutdown intensified, Adani group companies on Sunday plead the state Government and all other stakeholders should solve the present standoff amicably rather than "blaming one another" as Himachal Cement factories are under pressure for survival".
So far, all efforts by the state government officials to arrive at an amicable settlement between the transporters’ unions and management of the Adani group companies over the issue of freight charges have ended in a fiasco.
The truckers have been staging protest in Darlaghat and Barmana as all operations have come to standstill in the state for the last three days.
The shutdown of cement plants has come at a time when different Indian states are out to attract investment from the private sector.
It has also come at a time when the Sukhu government is talking about creating one lakh jobs in a year in Himachal Pradesh.
“Himachal Pradesh should make all efforts to address the problems faced by the industry”, company pleads.
There are also talks in the government circles that as to why Adani group chose the unwarranted shutdown soon after the Congress government came to the power in Himachal Pradesh.
There are also talks that the Chief Minister should bring BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda on board as the sudden shutdown of cement plants was untenable and not without a political motive, experts commented.
Did the companies face losses suddenly and cement plants became unviable? Why did not the companies take the matter with the Jai Ram Thakur government earlier?
On the other hand, Adani group pleads that such matters can be resolved only by understanding the issues faced by all the stakeholders and not by blaming each other”.
The group seeks an “amicable settlement of the standoff over the freight charges and other issues between the transporters unions and the companies”.
Both the companies are making serious efforts to solve the problems being faced by the state. Ambuja and ACC are seeking cooperation from all stakeholders including transport unions to resolve these issues amicably, spokesperson said.
Ambuja and ACC cements have a long presence in Himachal Pradesh.
They have contributed significantly to the economic prosperity of the local people and to the state's revenue, they plead.
Ambuja Cements and ACC are among the largest employment providers (direct and indirect) in the state. However, Himachal's cement plants are under immense pressure to survive, the company pleaded.
Both are one of the strongest brands in India with immense depth of manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure.
These brands run 23 cement plants, 14 grinding stations, 80 ready-mix concrete plants employ more than 50,000 workers across India. These companies are represented by more channel partners.
Both the companies currently have an installed production capacity of around 70 MT per annum.
“It is important to recognize that India remains the world's second largest cement market”.
Yet it has less than half of the global average per capita cement consumption. It is just 242 kg per capita as against the global average of 525 kg, company points out.
Adani group says that Himachal Pradesh can play an important role in the expansion plan of the group by facilitating a conducive business environment.
Himachal needs a well-run logistics infrastructure for development of the manufacturing sector in the state.
