KORAPUT/JEYPORE: Demanding revival of the closed Sewa paper mill, members of various trade unions staged demonstration in front of the Koraput collectorate on Tuesday.
The agitators, led by Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, also took out a rally and submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi through collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan.
The memorandum stated that prolonged closure of the mill, the district’s only major industrial unit, has pushed permanent employees, contractual labourers, contractors, suppliers and transport operators into severe financial distress. Thousands of families dependent on the industrial unit are reportedly struggling for survival due to non-payment of salaries and pending dues for several years.
The agitators said during his visit to Jeypore in September last year, the chief minister had publicly assured that the mill would be revived soon. Representatives of labour unions had also met Majhi in March this year seeking immediate reopening of the industrial unit. Despite assurance, the factory is yet to resume operations, they claimed.
The memorandum alleged that over 40 employees have died due to financial hardship caused by the closure of the mill, while over 200 retired workers are facing acute difficulties.
Demanding immediate revival of the mill under government supervision, the memorandum called for a financial and administrative inquiry, clearance of pending dues of workers and employees, and urgent measures to safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of affected families.
Speaking on the occasion, Bahinipati warned that if the demands are not fulfilled immediately, all affected families associated with the mill would stage dharna in front of the state Assembly.