Shift RFCL corporate office to Ramagundam or Hyderabad, Centre urged

HYDERABAD

Amidst the ongoing blame-game between the Central and State governments over ‘urea shortage’ in Telangana, employees’ unions of Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (RFCL) have urged the Centre to shift the company’s corporate head office from Noida to Ramagundam or Hyderabad, for effective monitoring, better coordination, and improved operational efficiency.

They argued that the current location of the office in Noida, far away from the plant’s location, has resulted in a noticeable coordination gap between the unit and the head office.

“Most middle and senior-level officials are stationed in Noida and seldom visit the plant, leading to inadequate monitoring and slower decision-making processes, which is also resulting in delays in executing repairs,” said an employee-cum-union leader.

The plant was closed for the second time this year from July 16 to August 10 due to a reported leak in ammonia supply elbow pipes. It was also shut down from May 8 to June 15, which is hitting urea supply to several States such as Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh. The plant produces 3,500-4,000 metric tonnes of urea daily.

Meanwhile, Congress MP from Mahabubabad Lok Sabha constituency P. Balram Naik wrote a letter to the Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, GoI, stressing the need to shift the corporate office.

In the letter, he stated that RFCL, a single-unit fertilizer plant located in Ramagundam, Peddapalli district, has been facing multiple technical challenges and frequent plant shutdowns.

“The physical absence of senior-level officers from the plant location has become a serious limitation, defeating the purpose of real-time monitoring, swift decision-making, and hands-on coordination,” he said. The letter also mentions that most single-unit fertilizer companies in the country have their corporate offices near their plant to ensure seamless operations and quick management responses.

The employees believe that relocating the corporate office to Ramagundam or Hyderabad would ensure closer involvement of decision-makers with ground realities, faster response to technical emergencies, and enhanced productivity and cost savings. They also argued that the physical presence of the head office in Delhi-NCR was not necessary in the digital era.