Keonjhar: Irate workers and local residents of Banua and nearby villages under Sadar police station area staged a protest Friday morning in front of the MSP factory’s main gate and restricted the Executive Director (ED) of the company to enter into the premises.
This situation has reportedly arisen after a few months of resentment among local people and workers over the company’s arbitrary management. Denied entry by the demonstrators, the ED had to return from the gate of the factory.
Sources said the sponge iron unit, established in the year 2000, has turned into a steel factory with the help of locals and the efforts of the employees. The steel project includes a sponge iron factory, a rolling mill, and a pellet factory. Notably, the local residents account for about 80 per cent of a total of around 3,500 workers in this factory.
However, during the past several months there have been problems in the management of this factory creating dissatisfaction among the workers and locals. In particular, the dissatisfaction arises from the company’s negligence in pollution control, development of the surrounding area, and social work in the locality with the participation of the people. It is alleged that the company, instead of providing ORS water during the scorching summer heat, gave water mixed with salt and sugar. It has been alleged that no water kiosk has been opened, unlike earlier years. The company is also reportedly preparing a list to lay off the workers. Even the afforestation done earlier by the company has been destroyed due to improper irrigation. Roads go dark after sunset due to non-payment of electricity bills for street lights. Locals alleged that many developmental works taken up in the surrounding areas and districts during the time of the company’s president Debabrat Swain have been stopped.
Therefore, it seems that workers and local people protested at the gate in the morning and made him return. Sanjay Munda, a local sarpanch, said, “Developmental works are not being implemented. Even the plantation has been destroyed owing to lack of irrigation and proper upkeep. Due to non-payment of electricity bills, the street lights have stopped working. Roads are not being repaired. Air pollution has increased. So the unhappy people have staged such protests twice or thrice in the past.”
