U’khand HC stays Govt order on HMT’s Ranibagh unit closure

Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday stayed a central order issued last month for closure of a unit of HMT Watches Ltd in Ranibagh.Issuing the order on a petition challenging the legality of the closure of the unit, Justice Rajeev Sharma asked both the Union Government and the management of the company to file an affidavit in this regard within six weeks rpt weeks.

In its observation, the court questioned why only government owned companies were being closed and that too when “Uttarakhand needs industries”.Arguing on behalf of the petitioners HMT Kamgar Sangh (workers union), their counsel Kartikeya Hari Gupta said closure of the company’s Ranibagh unit was not legal as it was a source of employment generation for the people of the state which needs industries.

He also argued that the two consultant audit companies engaged by the HMT to look into its account books had never recommended its closure.

Gupta also told the court that the Union government issued the order dated November 17, 2016 through the Ministry of Labour and Industry without proper adjudication of the disputes raised by the HMT employees and also without taking into consideration the fact that revival of HMT factory was a good employment opportunity for the population of the state.