(a) whether the workers of the Hindustan Zinc Ltd. Dhanbad, Jharkhand are facing hardships due to closure of the factory for the last three years;
(b) whether the Government propose to revive the Hindustan Zinc Ltd.;
(c) if so, the time by which this factory is likely be revived; and
(d) if not, the reasons therefor?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF MINES (DR. DASARI NARAYANA RAO)
(a): Government of India has transferred the management control of Hindustan Zinc Ltd. (HZL) in favour of strategic partner on 11.4.2002. The management of HZL has informed that the operations of the Lead Smelter at Tundoo, Dhanbad, have been suspended with effect from 23rd February,2004 until further orders and in the last 20 months, the company has paid Rs. 3.48 crores to the workmen from time to time in the background of negotiations and consensus reached with the recognized union.
(b) to (d): With management control in the hands of strategic partner, only the Board of HZL can take decision on the restart of the unit. The management of HZL has informed that the plant is over 60 years old and is based on outdated technology, making it inefficient, unviable and loss-making, in addition to major issues on pollution control, water sources, disposal of hazardous waste, etc. and it would be unviable to restart operations without addressing these issues.