Nizam Sugars factory workers pin hopes on new Telangana government 

After being laid off, the workers filed cases in a labour court and the issue remains pending in the NCLT. None of them have seen a penny of their salaries hitherto. 
Sheikh Khaja, a laid-off employee of Nizam Sugars, suffers from paralysis. (Photo | EPS)
Sheikh Khaja, a laid-off employee of Nizam Sugars, suffers from paralysis. (Photo | EPS)

NIZAMABAD: “We just want our salaries. Whoever comes to power, we want them to revive Nizam Sugars and pay us our salaries,” says Salma, the wife of  Sheikh Khaja, one of the many employees of the company. Khaja, who has been suffering from paralysis for nearly a year is one of the many laid-off and helpless employees of Nizam Sugars. 

The three units of the Nizam Sugars Deccan Limited - located in Bodhan, Medak and Metpally - were some of Telangana’s most prominent employers. However, after falling on bad times, they closed down in December 2015, leaving hundreds of nearly 300 employees and their families helpless. 

After being laid off, the workers filed cases in a labour court and the issue remains pending in the NCLT. None of them have seen a penny of their salaries hitherto. 

Hard times

Many of the workers have had to struggle for their livelihoods. “The factory shut down suddenly. My husband was struck with paralysis a year ago, we do not have the money to get him proper medical attention. Our situation is a precarious one,” says Salma, sitting beside her husband Sheikh Khaja, who is on the floor, unresponsive. Salma says there are multiple families like hers in the neighbourhood, each with a sadder story than the previous one. 

Some workers have died. Some have moved on. Some, with no other option, have become daily wage labourers. One of them has set up a shoe repair shop at a bus stand. 

All of them are waiting for their salaries. They are also waiting for December 11, when the results of the Assembly elections will be announced. NSDL workers and employees general secretary N Ravi Shankar Goud says that whatever candidate wins and whichever party forms the government, the revival of NSDL should be a priority for it. 

“It should be the first issue they address. Hearing have concluded in the National Company Law Tribunal and, to my knowledge, judgement has been reserved as well. We hope that the Tribunal will deliver the judgement soon,” he explains. 

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