"ICF will not be privatised," MDMK says Centre assured Vaiko

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday assured party chief Vaiko that the government-run Integral Coach Factory here would not be privatized, the MDMK said.

Citing apprehension among workers of the ICF that the unit may be privatized, Vaiko, who called on Vaishnaw in Delhi, urged him that the production facility must not be privatized at any cost as such a move would lead to thousands of employees losing their jobs, a party release here said.

The Minister assured the MDMK chief, also a Rajya Sabha MP, that the ''ICF will not be privatized under any circumstances and this can be conveyed to ICF workers in Chennai,'' the release added.

Vaiko called on the Minister along with Erode Lok Sabha member A Ganeshamurthi.

The ICF, established in 1955, is a production unit under the Ministry of Railways and its product line includes train coaches and components. The facility, located at Perambur here, is a popular city landmark.