Burnpur is mourning the death of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Old-timers recalled how he came as a savior to save the second oldest steel plant of the country from closure and had scripted history for West Bengal with an investment of Rs 18,032, which still holds the record of the highest ever single central government investment in the state.

Harjit Singh, INTUC head of IISCO Steel Plant also condemned the death of the former PM and said that his contributions in ISP Burnpur will never be forgotten.

Advertisement

Manmohan Singh himself chaired the meeting of the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) who had passed the Rs 18,032 crore modernisation plan of IISCO Steel Plant of Sail in Burnpur after the detailed project report was prepared by Mecon.

Infact, on 24 December 2006, Dr Singh, the then Prime Minister himself laid the foundation stone of the steel plant at a programme in Burnpur in which chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Union steel minister Ram Vilas Paswan were present. Five persons present at the podium on that day have passed away – Dr Singh, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Ram Vilas Paswan and Union minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi and then state industry minister Nirupam Sen.

The two successive deaths, first in August of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and then of Dr Singh have particularly shocked the residents of Burnpur. The duo had played a key role in first amalgamating IISCO with SAIL and then ultimately, modernisation.

“Revival of the steel plant was part of the common minimum programme of the UPA -1 government and would not have been possible without Manmohan Singh, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Ram Vilas Paswan. It has changed the socio economic scenario of this region after modernisation,” said Bansa Gopal Choudhury, former Asansol MP, who was present at the podium on that day.

“The death of Dr Manmohan Singh is very sad news for me personally. It was the most eventful day of my professional career. The main credit of IISCO revival goes to Dr Singh, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Ram Vilas Paswan. The 2.5 million tonnes IISCO plant is today one of the most modern Greenfield integrated steel plants of our nation and is a national asset now and is now all set for the next phase of massive expansion,” added Nilotpol Roy, former managing director of IISCO plant.