‘Nokia plant closure a serious concern’

Expressing “serious concern” over the closure of the Nokia plant in Sriperumbudur near Chennai, Labour Minister Bandarau Dattatreya informed the Lok Sabha that around 6,000 employees had been directly affected, and about 10,000 were indirectly hit. The Minister indicated that the “establishment” in Tamil Nadu had offered some good initiatives such as consultancy services, employment and training of the affected persons, adding that “we are in consultation with them.” The Minister, while detailing the history of the plant’s problems, also said it “came into red due tax liability enforced by the Tamil Nadu Government. There was also absence of orders from Microsoft.” Dattatreya was replying to KN Ramachandran, a member of Parliament from AIADMK, who wanted to know what action the government was taking to avoid situations arising of sudden closure of large industries. “In my constituency, Nokia suddenly closed down its unit without prior notice and because of that about 5,000 employees have suffered,” he said.