BHUBANESWAR: Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra on Monday announced in the Assembly that a meeting has been convened with the management of Ballarpur Industries Limited’s Sewa unit and the State Government for discussion on starting production in the plant.
Making a statement on the admissibility of an adjournment motion notice on the issue, the Minister said the company authorities had said in a letter on May 16, 2016 that production in the plant had been stopped from April 6, 2016 because of financial reasons.
Though production has been stopped for a temporary period, no worker has been retrenched. The company maintained that it does not have any intention to close down the plant. Steps are being taken to start production and it is hoped that the paper mill will run within two to three months, Mishra said.
Earlier, Tara Prasad Bahinipati (Congress) alleged that employees of the paper mill are not getting salary for the last eight months.
He demanded that steps should be taken to start production in the plant. Bahinipati blamed the company authorities for the loss as a result of which production was stopped and demanded that the State Government should take immediate steps for revival of the paper mill which is lifeline of Koraput district.
His party colleague Naba Kishore Das demanded that an all-party meeting, presided over by the Speaker, should be convened to discuss revival of Sewa Paper Mill at Jeypore and Orient Paper Mill at Brajrajnagar. He said attempts should be made to revive and run the papers mills on PPP mode.
Radharani Panda and Rabi Naik (both BJP) also demanded that steps should be taken by the Government to revive the sick paper mills.