Sunday, January 15 2006 15:01 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Anguished over the Government's proposal to shelve the ordnance factory project in Nalanda in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today (Jan 15, 2006) met Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee and pleaded with him not to scrap it.

After his meeting with Defense Minister, Kumar told reporters that he appealed to Mukherjee to carry out the task of setting up the project with indigenous or imported technology if the South African firm Denel was mired in controversy.

Kumar said Mukherjee assured him that he would take a decision soon on the matter on the basis of the report prepared by a committee constituted by the Defense Ministry on the issue.

Kumar impressed upon Mukherjee that scrapping of the project after pumping in Rs 300 crore for preliminary works would send a wrong signal to the people.

"There is no ordnance factory in big state like Bihar. There is no industry in the state. In these circumstances, and also from the point of view of defense requirements, scrapping the approved project would send a wrong signal," Kumar said.

The Chief Minister also conveyed the sentiments of the people of his state over rejection of the Republic day tableau from Bihar depicting Chhath festival.

On Tuesday, Kumar had sought cooperation of Union Ministers from Bihar Ram Vilas Paswan and Lalu Prasad to impress upon the Center to resume work on the ordnance factory.