Britannia downs shutters on Bengal factory

We’ve all have heard of Britannia. All of us must have eaten Britannia Tiger, Marigold and Treat biscuits, at some point of time. Well, some sad news for all the Britannia lovers. Britannia has announced the closure of its historic factory that makes biscuits. This move by the company has sparked a political storm.

The centre-ruling BJP and the ruling party in Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC) are face to face in this case. Let’s find out why Britannia has decided to close the Taratala factory and how this decision has stirred a political storm between BJP and TMC.

Britannia Industries Limited, Kolkata, is closing its historic Taratala factory. The company has stated that permanent employees have accepted the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS). Taratala factory is one of Britannia’s oldest biscuit manufacturing units and has been operational for the past 70 years.

A report claims that according to CITU sources, the factory has not produced anything for the past 20 days. Sources cited in a Times of India report suggest that due to its age, the factory is no longer economically viable. However, the closure of this factory with 150 employees, will not have a significant impact on the company or state revenue.

According to news agency PTI, Britannia management has offered Rs. 13 lakhs to employees with 5 years and 11 months of service remaining, Rs. 18.5 lakhs to those with 6 to 10 years remaining and Rs. 22.25 lakhs to those with more than 10 years remaining.

The closure of Britannia Industries’ Taratala factory has caused a political uproar. BJP has blamed the closure on the Left and TMC. While TMC has termed it an internal matter of the company.

BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya wrote in a post on X, blaming CPI(M)’s unionism and TMC’s ‘extortion’ during the Left’s tenure. This apparently caused significant losses to the factory, eventually leading to its closure. He said that “The Britannia factory, once a beacon of industrial vitality in Bengal, suffered significant attrition during the Left regime due to the CPI(M)’s pervasive ‘Unionbaji’. TMC’s relentless ‘Tolabaji’ was the final nail in the coffin, which ultimately led to the demise of the factory.”

However, a user named Poly Sarkar has shared a news on X. It says that according to sources, Britannia may make new investments in Bengal and could soon set up a plant near Durgapur. This information comes at a time when there are heated discussions about closing the Taratala factory in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, according to media reports, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh has dismissed allegations made by BJP. TMC says that the reason for the factory’s closure are internal issues within Britannia management. Those associating it with the state’s industrial situation are wrong. Several new biscuit factories have been set up in the state, providing employment to many.

While on one hand, the closure of Britannia’s Taratala factory in Kolkata could render hundreds of permanent and temporary employees jobless, posing an economic crisis for their livelihoods. On the other hand, political parties are busy accusing each other, engaging in a blame game to carve out political gains.