After ?death? diktat, NTC says run shops

FOR THE National Textile Corporation (NTC) showrooms the pendulum has swung back. Reflecting their whimsical attitude, the top management of the corporation has decided that NTC showrooms across the country will not be shut down. The order follows the earlier one, which had directed closure of all NTC outlets. Following the earlier order, 169 of the 282 showrooms had already been shut down. But outlets, which were not closed, can continue business as usual.

Officials surprised at corporation’s U-turn

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FOR THE National Textile Corporation (NTC) showrooms the pendulum has swung back. Reflecting their whimsical attitude, the top management of the corporation has decided that NTC showrooms across the country will not be shut down. The order follows the earlier one, which had directed closure of all NTC outlets.

Following the earlier order, 169 of the 282 showrooms had already been shut down. But outlets, which were not closed, can continue business as usual.

However, the stay on the closure move has come as a surprise to many corporation officials. They are unable to comprehend why directives were issued to shut down the showrooms if they were to be revoked later on.

NTC officials, requesting anonymity, said the keep-open order would not help much as it came very late and the damage had been done. They said many of the showrooms, which are now closed, were situated at prime locations in major cities, including metros. As these were rented accommodation, many NTC shops located at hotspots would not run anymore.

In UP alone, 35 showrooms, mostly situated in posh localities of major cities including Allahabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Meerut, Saharanpur and many more were closed.

Only two showrooms are still in the possession of National Textile Corporation — one on Mall Road in Kanpur and the other in the Hazratganj area of Lucknow.

Both are situation on LIC building premises and legal battles are going on over them.

Sources in the NTC said the present move would burden the already tottering PSU. As most of the showroom staff had opted for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), the NTC would now need to recruit fresh hands to run the remaining 113 outlets. They said when the closure proposal had been mooted the employees’ union had opposed it and warned that the move would be detrimental to the corporation’s interest. The management did not pay heed to the advice, employees’ leaders said. The leaders added the management had then argued in favour of the shutdown and took the plea that NTC showrooms had become white elephants.

Now, the top management feels the need to have a new marketing strategy for the showrooms. They are also of the opinion, to ensure the turnover of Rs 1 crore per month a team of marketing consultants was required in view of the emerging marketing trends in a globalised scenario.