Centre to take over Basumati

Union Minister of State for Urban Development Sougata Roy today declared that on request of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee the Central government will take over the ailing Basumati Corporation Limited.

Union Minister of State for Urban Development Sougata Roy today declared that on request of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee the Central government will take over the ailing Basumati Corporation Limited.

Basumati started as a publishing house in 1881 and launched Dainik Basumati in 1914. At present,it is a sick unit running into a loss of at least Rs 100 crore. There are at present 16 journalists and 73 technical employees associated with the organisation.

On May 24,Banerjee had held a meeting with Roy,asking him to see to it that the Centre prepares a package for the revival of Basumati,one of the heritage organisations of Bengal. Accordingly Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh had sent a letter to Roy.

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A committee has been formed for the purpose. Our effort is to make Basumati self-sufficient within the next two years. They will no longer have to run to the government seeking help, said Roy,after having an hour-long meeting with the CM at Writers Buildings today.

A five-member team,including Director of Printing (Union Ministry of Urban Development) A K Sinha and printing experts Bhagvan Sahay and B N Saxena visited the office of Basumati at Bowbazar. The committee will observe everything and send us its report within three days. The report will include modernisation of the machines also, Roy added.

Basumati Bachao Committee,the employees union of the unit,meanwhile,hailed the move.

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