The Industries department is of the stand that the Thiruvananthapuram unit of BrahMos should be retained in the public sector, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve has said. Responding to questions at a press conference here on Friday on the alleged move to “delink” the Thiruvananthapuram unit of BrahMos from the parent BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd (BAPL), the Indo-Russian missile joint venture, he said that further discussions will be held in this regard with the officials concerned to bring more clarity on the issue.

Over the past few weeks, employees at the BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (BATL), situated at Chakka in the State capital, have been concerned over a reported move to separate BATL from BAPL, of which it is a wholly-owned subsidiary. They have sought the urgent intervention of the Kerala government to discourage any move that adversely impacts the future of the unit and jobs.

Mr. Rajeeve said that despite this development, the expansion plans of BrahMos are going ahead in full steam. Discussions regarding the land required for expansion have already taken place, he said.