Doyen of bicycle industry ‘Bau’ Joginder Kumar passes away at 88

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A luminary of the bicycle and electroplating industry, United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA) chairperson Joginder Kumar, who was reverently referred to as ‘Bau’ passed away on Tuesday night. He was 88.

Kumar, who has also been the vice-chairperson and director of the Ludhiana Stock Exchange (LSE), had been fighting a chest infection for over a month at Hero DMC Heart Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Nirmala Devi, and his sons, Arun Aggarwal, Rajan Gupta and Hemant Aggarwal.

Industrialists and politicians, including Bharat Bhushan Ashu, paid their last respects at the Cremation Ground near the Bus Stand.

Among his many accomplishments he was founder and chief executive officer of the Ludhiana Effluent Treatment Society (LETS), four-time president and three-time UCPMA general secretary, lifetime president of the Ludhiana Electroplaters Association, president of the Federation of Tiny and Small Industries of India, and was member of several councils and committees constituted over the years for the betterment of the industry at state and national level.

Throughout his life, Kumar remained an indefatigable champion of small industries. His son, Rajan Gupta, said, “My father started his journey in 1963 when he established an auto parts manufacturing unit, General Metal Industries. He ventured into manufacturing bicycle parts in the 1970s. He was instrumental in establishing a first-of-its-kind effluent part for the electroplating industry, and championed for the inclusion of micro industries in the bill, which was eventually passed as the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act.

At present, the family runs different industrial units including JK Cycles, Kay Pee Industries (fastener), BVM Incorporate (fastener), Kedar Sons International (aluminium door and windows) and Gennex Industries (cycle parts).

Paying tribute to the stalwart, Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisation (FICO) president Gurmeet Singh Kular said, “Kumar saved the bicycle and electroplating industry by establishing the LETS effluent treatment plant. If not for him, several units would have to be closed as there was no solution to treating effluents. He always stood for the tiny and small industry and voiced their concerns to the government.”

UCPMA president DS Chawla said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh knew him by name and would always take his inputs during meetings. “Even at an advanced age, he remained up-to-date with the issues being faced by the industry, and would suggest points which needed to be taken up with the government. His death has created a void, which can never be fulfilled,” he said.

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