GUNTUR: Mild tension prevailed at Bajrang Jute Mill here on Thursday after the police foiled the attempt by the workers to stop the shifting of machinery against the mill management over the signing of an agreement with a construction firm to develop the property in 7.79 acres. The workers have been demanding that the mill is reopened, claiming that the management had locked down the mill deliberately on the pretext of incurring losses.
Workers led by former MLC KS Lakshmana Rao, YSRCP leader Lella Appireddy, who is also the president of Bajrang Jute Mill Parirakshana (protection) Committee and CPI leader Jangala Ajay Kumar staged a protest.
Condemning the police action, Appireddy said that it was unfortunate that the police foiled an attempt by the workers to register a protest in a democratic manner. He fainted in the melee at the protest camp and was shifted to Guntur Government Hospital for treatment.
Ajay Kumar alleged that the management was colluding with real estate firms as the mill was in a prime location. With Amaravati in Guntur district becoming the new capital city, real estate prices have shot up in Guntur, Vijayawada, Tenali, Managalagiri and other towns in Krishna and Guntur districts, he pointed out.
“The lockout has thrown over 3,000 workers on the roads. The State government is turning a blind eye to the unilateral attitude of the management even though its actions are against labour rules,” the CPI leader said. Even the assurance of the Chief Minister that the mill would be reopened had gone in vain, he added.
Police foiled the suicide bid of one Narasimha Rao, who tried to douse himself with kerosene. Police arrested a few leaders and shifted them to Nallapadu police station. The cops pacified the protesters by saying that they would take up the matter with the government.
“The government must not let the company play with the workers’ livelihood. It has already affected as many as 3,000 workers and they must be given compensation for these three years and the mill should be reopened immediately,” Narasimha Rao said.
He alleged that the government has become a mute spectator while the management is trying to dispose the land to fetch profits. He said, “Our immediate demand is reopening of the mill and providing employment to the workers, till then we won’t step back.”
CPM leader Bhavanarayana, YSRC leaders E Venkatakrishna, Ch Yesuratnam and Ghulam Rasool, YSRC student wing leader P Chaitanya and others took part in the protest.
