Indo-Asahi Glass (IAG), one of the oldest glass manufacturing factories in India, stopped production at its unit in Bhadani Nagar of Ramgarh district on 1 April, the second time the company has been c…
Indo-Asahi Glass (IAG), one of the oldest glass manufacturing factories in India, stopped production at its unit in Bhadani Nagar of Ramgarh district on 1 April, the second time the company has been closed. IAG cooled down its production units for the first time in 2004, resuming operations by new owners in 2009. Ahsan Ansari, Glass Employees“ Union general secretary, said: “All the senior officials moved from Bhadani Nagar after the running unit was cooled down and approximately 1,100 workers became jobless, while they were working with very little wages less i.e. less than the minimum wages fixed by the government.” He threatened that IAG workers will launch a massive agitation against the illegal closure of the factory. However, according to chief general manager of the company, Rajesh Garg, the plant has been cooled down for repair and will start functioning after the maintenance work is over in the next few months. “Four ports of the plant had collapsed and the furnace was unable to generate heat required for converting raw material into liquid glass. The management, therefore, had to cooled down the plant,” said Garg. Indo-Asahi Glass factory was set up in 1952, and was taken over by Asahi Glass Company of Japan in 1957. IAG then became a joint venture company, which was reorganized, re-equipped and renovated with Japanese technology that took the company on top in Asian glass market. During liberalization in 1991, the Japanese company sold its shares to the Khemka Group of Companies, which also owned a glass manufacturing plant in Gujarat. According to a retired IAG official, at present, the company is controlled by Vijay Joshi, a close aide of former chief minister Madhu Koda.