KIRLOSKARS ‘LAND’ IN TROUBLE IN THE SOUTH

A peculiar problem has hit the Kirloskar brothers in South India, triggering a huge controversy within the group.

The Mysore Kirloskar factory will now be shut down and land handed over, after it was made clear to the estimated 2,000 workers that former chairman of the company, Vikram Kirloskar— now the president of the New Delhi-based Confederation of Indian Industry (Cii)—has sold the property to a builder.

Reports reaching the national capital say the workers are now stranded and left to suffer the consequences that will follow the sale of land to the builder. Worse, a large number of managers of Mysore Kirloskar, who were staying in staff quarters are wondering where to go following the recent decision by the management.

For the records, Kirloskar is the CMD of Kirloskar Systems Ltd, and Vice Chairman of Toyota Kirloskar Motor. But what is interesting is that Kirloskar had relinquished his post—much before the land issue snowballed into a huge controversy—and handed over the baton to his uncle, Sham Kirloskar, and nominated him as the managing director of the company.

Sources within the company have told this reporter that Vikram Kirloskar’s move to exit and hand over the reins to Sham Kirloskar was to move away from the controversies slowly, yet steadily, gripping the company. Interestingly, Vikram Kirloskar became the MD of Mysore Kirloskar Ltd., at Harihar in 1983, which manufactured lathe machines. The company, which started way back in 1941, had a glorious past and manufactured machine tools during World War II and provided employment to hundreds of people. The factory, which