(a) whether the fertilizer plants at Haldia and Durgapur in West Bengal were not
functioning properly due to use of unworthy technology from the very
beginning;
(b) if so, whether the Government have fixed up any responsibility for acceptance
of the said technology;
(c) if so, the action taken against the guilty persons involved in this regard?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS
(SHRI RAMESH BAIS)
(a) : The Haldia Fertilizer Project (which could not be commissioned) and
Durgapur plant of Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Ltd.(HFC) did not function
properly the main reason for which was mismatch of various equipments and
machinery as the same had been procured from various sources against credit tie
ups due to constraints imposed in funding.
(b)&(c) : The failure of the Haldia Fertilizer Project was due to factors beyond
the control of any individual or group of individuals. The Expert Committee on
Haldia Fertilizer Project appointed by the Government in May, 1997 has said
amongst other things that what transpired in respect of Haldia Project is in the final
analysis the failure of the system as a whole which could not respond to the
challenges thrown up in the project.