Potential buyers found for Nokia plant: TN Govt

NEW DELHI: Telecom equipment maker Nokia has found potential buyers for its manufacturing plant in Chennai, media reports said.

"Nokia has been telling us that they have identified a very serious buyer, but due to their non-disclosure agreement they are not willing to give out their name," Tamil Nadu Additional Chief Secretary C V Shankar has said.

Nokia plant had started operations in 2006, but was shut down in November last year after it got muddled in some tax issues. The company had sold its global devices and services business to Microsoft in April last year.

"Essar Chief Ruia (Shashikant Ruia) was in Chennai and he also mentioned that he has looked at the plant but he has not committed saying yes or no. So we really do not know who the prospective buyer is," Shankar added.

"Obviously the state government cannot say yes or no to any of them at the particular issue in hand. Nokia has now come up with a proposal for defreezing the assets and selling it to some one outside the company and the money to be parked in an escrow account etc.

"We have said this is a good thing to happen and Prime Minister has made an statement in Rajya Sabha on this. So once it is opened then some other company can come. The employment would start," he added.

"To that extent going into the issue, merit of the case or otherwise, we would prefer that unit is open. GOI should take a call on this very quickly," he said.