Ranchi: In order to discuss a road map for the revival of ailing Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC), chief minister Hemant Soren on Friday met a six-member parliamentary sub-committee at his residential office.The delegation had visited the public sector undertaking in Ranchi on Thursday to assess the situation on the ground and explore revival options.“Discussions focused on HEC’s present condition, the challenges facing its operations and employees, and possible strategies for its restructuring and revival,” the information and public relations department said in a statement.The committee comprised Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva and MPs Vijay Hansda, Sultana De, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, Hasmukhbhai Somabhai Patel and Chandan Chauhan.Sharing his observations on X, Reddy said HEC, established in 1958, once employed around 20,000 people and owned nearly 7,000 acres of land, besides some of the country’s largest industrial machinery.“Barring a few years, the company has largely remained loss-making during its 68-year history. The committee is evaluating ways to revive the PSU and make it profitable,” he said.A Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee delegation submitted a detailed memorandum to the visiting panel, seeking a comprehensive revival package for HEC.The Congress delegation, led by state general secretary Alok Kumar Dubey, urged the Centre to provide immediate financial assistance, modernise obsolete machinery, restructure legacy debt and restore production units in phases.It also sought priority work orders for HEC in strategic sectors, including defence, railways, steel, power and mining. The memorandum called for the payment of pending salaries and dues owed to retired employees.“HEC is a symbol of Jharkhand’s industrial identity and a strategic national asset. It still possesses valuable land, infrastructure, technical expertise and skilled manpower that can be leveraged for its revival,” Dubey said.
