As Hindustan Photo Films winds down, Ooty MLA roots for making it a new hospital
OOTY: The closure of the already defunct Hindustan Photo Films manufacturing company(HPF) looks certain now with the last batch of its employees being served with notice to go out on VRS. At this juncture, the Ooty MLA pleaded for setting up of a multispecialty hospital there with air ambulance facility. The HPF, which is a central PSE, the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia, continued to be a top flight industry in the field of photo roll films, X-ray as well as cine film manufacturing since its inception in 1967.
However, the change in economic policies in the country in the early 1990’s and the entry of multi-national companies(MNC) into the Indian photo and X-ray films market made things tough for the HPF as it plummeted to a near pathetic situation from its glorious past.
As the efforts for its revival failed to fructify, the production began to decline and in from May 2016 the production in the company came to a grinding halt with most of its employees taking VRS.
Nonetheless, one last batch of 165 employees who refused the VRS package for them, continued to report for duty all these days pleading for enhanced monetary benefits for them under the VRS package. But, things failed to favour them as the HPF management now has issued a notification that the defiant 165 employees will be given VRS as per 2016 VRS package and have been given a month’s time to vacate the quarters occupied by the employees.
This virtually has indicated that the curtains are down for this 50-year-old industry. Now, voices have begun to emanate on how to utilise the HPF infrastructure to bring benefits to the locals. Many voices are growing for setting up a medical college there or to set up a software park or an economy class tourist lodge there.
However, Mr. R. Ganesh (Congress) MLA of Ooty, has appealed to the government to establish a multi-specialty hospital with air-ambulance facility at the sprawling HPF premises to make this premises continue to serve the locals and the tourists.
