West Bengal Government Denies Dunlop India Loan

Dunlop India’s bid for a 1 billion rupee “soft loan” to aid with the reopening of its Sahagunj plant has been turned down by the West Bengal government. The plant has been closed since 30 November and looks set to see in the New Year before work restarts. Labour minister Mrinal Banerjee told Indian news sources, including The Hindu, that the company cannot be helped as it is not “sick”.

Company chairman Pawan Ruia had demanded a series of incentives that he believed were due from promised state aid. The minister voiced the concerns of the factory’s 1,171 workers that Ruia would sell off the factory’s site. He told newspapers, “If he now sells the land with the support of a political party, we don’t know what will happen.”