Ex-staffers claim machines worth Rs 50 crore, MAPL books show Rs 26,000, HAL seeks Rs 10 lakh insurance

NAGPUR: The case of missing medicine manufacturing heavy machinery from the plant of Maharashtra Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Limited (MAPL), Nagpur, is murkier than suspected by former employees. The book value of the machinery was Rs26,000 in balance sheet of MAPL whereas its parent company — Hindustan Antibiotics Limited (HAL) —had insured it for Rs60 lakh and sought insurance claim of Rs10 lakh. Former employees and a former director had claimed the machinery costs crores and its current value would be around Rs50 crore.
TOI had reported on June 13 how heavy machinery had gone missing from the plant in suspicious manner. In the intervention plea filed by former employee and union leader Suresh Gotmare pleading for restarting of the plant for production of Covid-19 vaccine and Remdisivir, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on May 4 had directed the central and state governments to submit replies. On May 14, HAL, a Government of India undertaking, under whom this plant falls, had expressed its inability to restart the plant citing problem of skilled manpower and other issues.
Guardian minister Nitin Raut had reportedly directed joint director of industries AP Dharmadhikari to inspect the plant and submit report whether it can be revived for producing vaccine and medicines related to novel coronavirus. On May 17, Dharmadhikari along with Gotmare and representative of former nominee director in MAPL — Environmental Engineering Inc (EEI) — Sudhir Paliwal visited and informed the court there was no machinery inside the plant.

Gotmare and Paliwal claimed the machinery cost crores, and was worth at least Rs50 crore even now, as it could manufacture various medicines and dry powder injections.
A HAL official told TOI, “Book value of fixed assets as per balance sheet was around Rs26,000. Theft of machinery took place in April 2016. As per FIR lodged in MIDC police station on April 14, 2016, the value of materials was indicated as Rs26,000.”
The officials said there was insurance of Rs60 lakh on the plant and other infrastructure. “HAL had claimed loss of Rs10 lakh against the total insured sum of Rs60 lakh (for plant and other infrastructure) with National Insurance Co Ltd. We are yet to get any amount as we do not have documents from when the machinery was purchased,” the official said.
The official said a security agency was appointed after closure of the plant. “MAPL, a subsidiary of HAL, was formed in 1979 and has been non-functional since 2003-04. The government had decided to close MAPL and accordingly all employees were given VRS in 2006. Security agency was to take care of the plant. After the theft, three letters were sent to Superintendent of Police, Nagpur, with copy to IG, Mumbai, to provide protection to the property of MAPL. A letter was also written to Sales Tax Department to take possession of MAPL office, plant and machinery. Third letter was sent to secretary of ministry of chemicals and fertilizers, pharmaceuticals department, requesting to look into protection of MAPL property,” the official said.
Asked who was responsible for machinery going missing, and why no responsibility fixed on anyone, the official said registering FIR and claiming insurance was the proper action. “Also, HAL had asked superintendent of police to provide security to MAPL facilities as it is property of the central government,” the official said.