Defence public enterprise BEML Ltd has served a legal notice on Gen. V.K. Singh demanding that he apologise and retract his recent statements derogating the company, the company Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Mr V.R.S. Natarajan, said on Friday.

“We completely deny the charges made by Gen. V.K. Singh. [They] are absolutely false, motivated and borne out by the fact that not a single letter has been received by BEML or the Ministry to say the vehicles are substandard, obsolete or overpriced,’’ Mr Natarajan told a news conference.

He said the General in recent days had constantly made unfounded and derogatory statements in various media against BEML and its products, mainly the Tatra off-road trucks, used widely by the Army.

“We have issued a defamation notice today requesting the former Chief of Army Staff to apologise and regret [his statements]. If it does not happen, we have to consider filing a defamation suit against him to protect the image, honour and prestige of this company,’’ he said.

The company was in diverse businesses like mining and construction, rail and metro, aerospace and dredging across 150 countries.

“It is damaging and defamatory to make that kind of statement as if there is something fraudulent in every activity of BEML.’’

Gen. Singh first spoke about the trucks in general terms in March this year. He retired on May 31.

Mr Natarajan justified the delay and timing of BEML’s response saying, “Being a government company, [it has to comply with] many legal processes. It cannot do it overnight.’’

BEML has supplied 7,000 of these off-road, multi-terrain vehicles to the Army since 1986. Since Czechoslovakia split in mid-1990s, its OEM company Tatra's facilities are divided between the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The multi-axle 8x8 multi-terrain truck is estimated to cost around Rs 80-100 lakh a piece at present. The General is reported to have contended that they were available at Rs 28 lakh but sold in this country for Rs 1 crore.

According to Mr Natarajan, even the Czech army bought 556 Tatra 815-model vehicles in 2006 for $130 million. This was equivalent to Rs 97 lakh each at that time and Rs 1.57 crore a piece by current exchange rates, by either the dollar or the euro.

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