PARADIP: Retrenched workers of Cargill India company staged mass dharna outside the Adani Wilmar Ltd office here on Wednesday, in violation of the prohibitory orders under Section 144 clamped in the area. Five platoons of police force have been deployed in the area to avoid any untoward situation.
Hundreds of workers, who have been retrenched by the edible oil processing company Cargill India, are demanding employment opportunities. As per reports, Cargill India had set up a cooking oil refinery in Paradip in 2004. The company, a subsidiary of US trading giant Cargill, imported crude palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia and refined it in its Paradip plant. However, it shut down its refinery in 2016 due to losses.
Nearly 152 workers, who were engaged in the refinery for packing, lost their jobs. Meanwhile, the company sold its refinery plant to Adani Wilmar Ltd recently, but no steps were taken to provide jobs to the workers. After being neglected, the workers staged dharna in front of Cargill India plant from March 12. Soon after, the new company conducted ‘ Bhumi Puja’ at the plant site to start operation of the refinery.
However, neither the district administration nor company authorities have taken a decision on providing employment to the agitating workers. As there was a possibility of violence, the administration had clamped prohibitory orders banning demonstrations in the area since then. However, the workers decided to renew their agitation.