Workers at the Cement Corporation of India’s (CCI) Adilabad unit in Telangana have raised concerns over the plant’s future after the Union government invited tenders to sell machinery as scrap, reportedly valued at around INR500m (US$6m).
The move has been widely interpreted by employees and local groups as signalling a definitive closure of the long-idled facility, which ceased operations in 2008. Worker representatives, including the CCI Sadhana Committee, said the tender undermines long-standing expectations that the plant could be revived, particularly following political commitments made in previous election campaigns.
The Adilabad unit, commissioned in 1984 with a capacity of 1200tpd, was once a key industrial asset in the region, supporting thousands of direct and indirect jobs. However, it was partially shut in the late 1990s due to financial losses before closing in 2008. Reports indicate that the site still holds significant limestone reserves, which had previously underpinned calls for its restart.
Local media coverage suggests growing discontent among former employees, with protests planned in response to the latest development. Workers argue that dismantling the plant would effectively end any realistic prospect of revival and could pave the way for disposal of land and other assets.
The government has not issued a detailed public statement on the long-term status of the unit, but the tender process marks the clearest indication to date that divestment, rather than rehabilitation, is being pursued.
