Engineers Who Built Chandrayaan-3 Launch Pad Weren’t Paid Salaries for Over a Year: Report
New Delhi: As the world witnessed the historic Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission on July 14, the engineers who built the launch pad are reported to have not received their salaries for over a year now.
The engineers of Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) in Ranchi were not being paid for the past 17 months, news agency IANS reported.
Despite the issue of unpaid salaries, the firm delivered the mobile launching pad and other crucial and complex equipment ahead of schedule in December 2022, the report said.
The HEC is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Heavy Industries. The firm is located in Ranchi’s Dhurwa area.
Several news outlets have reported about the non-payment of salaries to the company staff for over a year.
Frontline reported in May that some 2,700 workmen and 450 executives had not got their salaries for the past 14 months or so.
In November 2022, IANS had reported that the officers of the company had not received their salary for an entire year and employees for eight-nine months.
It had said that despite having orders worth Rs 1,500 crore from the Indian Space Research Organisation, Ministry of Defence, Railways, Coal India and the steel sector, 80% of the work remains pending due to shortage of funds.
Subhash Chandra, an engineer who was among those who cheered the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3, told the news agency: “The HEC personnel held their heads once again with pride. We are happy that we are partners in such an important project of the country.”
IANS reported, citing sources, that the company requested the Ministry of Heavy Industries several times to provide working capital of Rs 1,000 crore. However, the ministry responded saying that the Union government cannot extend any help.
Moreover, for the last two and a half years, the HEC has not made any permanent appointment for the position of chief managing director, or CMD.
The Chandrayaan-3 was built with a budget of around Rs 600 crore.
This article went live on July seventeenth, two thousand twenty three, at eleven minutes past twelve at noon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
