Commissioning of Gas Cracker project likely to be delayed

From our Staff Correspondent

DIBRUGARH, June 23: As expected, the commissioning of the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL)  at Lepetkata in Dibrugarh District is getting further delayed.

The much hyped project, born out of the Assam Accord, was initially fixed to be commissioned in April, 2012 which was later shifted to December, 2013. The Maging Director of the mega project, SN Prasad on several press meets , had attributed  the causes for delaying the commission  of the project to lack of work culture among the local workers, heavy rains, frequent bandh call given by several organizations and  acute law-and-order situation. He, however, announced the new date for physical commissioning of the project as December, 2014. But, Prasad led BCPL magement could not met the set deadline also. A new date for commissioning the project was later being fixed as June, 2015.

During the recent visit of the Secretary, Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals, Government of India, at the BCPL plant at Lepetkata in Dibrugarh District, he reviewed the work progress of the plant and later warned the top magement of the project with appropriate action, if the committed date of production on June this year was not met.

On  being informed by BCPl MD that it would not be feasible to dedicate the project to the tion on time, highly placed reliable sources revealed that the irate Union Secretary of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, had summoned BCPL MD to New Delhi .

Information  gathered by this reporter from various sources, indicates several aspects  as the contributing factors for the delay in completion of the project, amongst others, the major being the mismagement and nepotism at the top level of the company, failure to maintain cordial work relation between the top teams of Engineering and Project Magement  (EIL)  and BCPL, conflict of MD, BCPL with one of the  major equipment supplier (BHEL), connivance   with the major contractors, thereby resulting in failure to control and command them to comply to the contractual completion schedules, failure in timely decision making at the senior level, frequent changes (seven times in eight years) of Chief Operating Officers(COO),  and miserable failure to deploy quality manpower  by H R department.

“ Failing to complete the plant in its entirety, the MD BCPL has been trying  to fool  the stake holders by commissioning Poly Propylene Unit (PPU) this month, with borrowed propylene (this has to be produced by cracking gas from OIL & ONGC at Lepetkata) from IOCL, Panipath, UP,” the sources added.

BCPL was expected to contribute towards multidirectiol socio-economic development of the NE region. The people of Assam in general and, unemployed youths in particular, have been eagerly waiting for commencement of production of AGC, thereby developing several Plastic Processing Industries in the State, which in turn would generate substantial employment opportunities.