In a note sent by Subrata Gupta, secretary, department of Public Sector Enterprise, to Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakrabarti, a noting made for Basumati reads — “Closure. Employees were offered ERS but none of them accepted it. Administrative decision awaited.”

Gupta sent the note for the meeting to be held on January 11 between the British Government’s DFID and various departments of the state government to discuss the second phase of industrial reconstruction. Like in the first phase, the second phase is also being funded by DFID. Of the 26 PSUs to undergo reconstruction, 12 are going to be retained while seven are being considered for joint venture. Two concerns, West Bengal Projects and Basumati are supposed to be closed.

It was after Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her desire to take over the 114-year-old concern, Railway Board chairman S M Khurana wrote to the chief secretary asking for details of the concern. But after a brief exchange of letters between the two sides, the state government kept quiet and announced it would re-open Basumati. It also put a notice at the factory asking its employees to re-join work and said the job of printing 10 lakh ration cards would be given to them.

When asked for comments, Subesh Das, principal secretary, information and culture, under which Basumati used to be run, refused to accept that Basumati was going to be closed. “The note says administrative decision is awaited. You should not misinterpret this,” Das said.