ISRO chief V Narayanan | Representational file photo Six years after the government opened the space sector to private companies, sources have told Times Now that as many as nine ISRO employee associations have sought clarification from ISRO chief V Narayanan over reports surrounding the privatisation of the agency in the wake of reports proposing plans to transfer the space centre's manufacturing and operational functions to private entities. The letter to ISRO chief Narayanan was written on September 4 after the launch of GSLV F17 carrying EOS 5. In their letter, the employee associations have sought clarity primarily on the government's pririvatisation policy, ISRO's future role and the possible repercussions of privatisation in connection with existing employees and future recruitments. According to the letter accessed by Times Now, its subject says, "Request for official clarification on Government policy regarding privatization / transfer of ISRO manufacturing and operational functions, the future role of ISRO and the impact on serving employees and future generations-submission of concerns of ISRO employees." While congratulating the successful launch and placement of ISRO's EoS-05 satellite in the desired orbit, the employees said that they once again proved that they can rise from ashes and fly like phoenix. The letter further reads, "We, the undersigned Service Associations representing employees of Centers/ Units under the Department of Space and ISRO, most respectfully submit this representation seeking a clear, authoritative and written clarification from the Department of Space on certain recent public statements that have caused widespread concern among serving employees, their families, and thousands of young citizens who aspire to a career in the national space programme." The employees associations referred to the statement allegedly made by Dr. Pawan Kumar Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe, at an event where he said, "Eventually, ISRO will not make any launch vehicles and will not manufacture any launch vehicles. That will all be done by the private sector or PSUs." The letter further reads that it has been reported that the transfer already begun with SSLV (technology and production rights handed to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) is proposed to be extended to PSLV and LVM3; that public sector undertakings may be excluded from the forthcoming transfer process for these vehicles; that routine satellite manufacturing is also to move out of ISRO and that operation of new launch Kulasekarapattinam, is being opened to private entities It has also been stated that infrastructure, including Launch Complex that about 120 technologies have already been transferred from ISRO to the private sector. These statements have received wide national publicity. They have not, however, been accompanied by any corresponding official communication from the Department of Space to its employees explaining the approved policy, its legal and administrative basis, its phasing, or its consequences for the existing workforce and for future public recruitment., the letter reads. ISRO's employee bodies said that the space launch operations are not merely "manufacturing contracts" but they are the core competence, institutional memory and strategic capability of the Organisation. Amid privatisation reports continue to surface, the employees are anxious about: ISRO staff bodies further mentions in the letter that the concern is not hostility to Indian industry, nor opposition to legitimate commercialization through NSIL within a defined framework. The concern is the absence of an official DoS policy document that draws a clear line between, one -- enabling private participation and second -- dismantling ISRO's own realisation capability. Expressing these concerns, the employees requested the Department of Space and ISRO Chairman to issue a written clarification on: ISRO employee bodies have suggested that private participation in delined commercial activities can coexist with a strong, publicly owned ISRO. What cannot be accepted without debate is a policy that reduces ISRO to a residual R&D boutique while the realisation of the nation's launch vehicles and the operation of its launch infrastructure pass out of public hands. Technology developed by ISRO is a national asset. Its transfer must be transparent, accountable, and consistent with strategic, safety and employment considerations-not presented to employees through newspaper reports.