Keonjhar: The closure of over 13 plants out of the 40 operating in mining-rich Keonjhar district in the last 12 years has pushed hundreds of labourers and other personnel to the brink of starvation and poverty, sources informed here Tuesday.
The closure of the plants has deprived the employees of their livelihood. They are facing a harrowing time to even arrange food for their families.
To top up this worst-case scenario, sources informed that many other plants are on the brink of shutting down. It means that many more will soon be rendered jobless. The closure of the plants has severely impacted the financial scenario and economy of this district, the sources added.
Sources said that ‘Deepak Steel and Power Ltd’ stopped production in September 2012. The plant belonging to ‘Grewal Associate Pvt Ltd’ downed its shutters in January 2015 and with it, 68 persons lost their jobs.
The IDCOL-run ‘Kalinga Iron Works’ which was established by late Chief Minister Biju Patnaik had its plant at Matkambeda in Barbil. It was one of the most successful industrial units to have come up in the district. It had a staff of 1,446 people out of which 775 were regular employees while the remaining 691 were contractual workers. However, all of them were rendered jobless after the plant stopped production in February 2015.
The ‘Odisha Sponge Iron Ltd’ plant at Palashpanga which was known as the first sponge iron unit in Asia was shut down after the authorities announced lockout in October 2012. A total of 964 employees among who were 464 regulars lost their jobs due to the shutdown. The plant was reopened in 2022 but under different management. Very few former employees have rejoined due to the low salaries offered. The others continue to languish in acute poverty.
‘Pro-Mineral Pvt Ltd’ established its plant in Basantpur locality. The plant had 75 regular and 108 contractual employees and 183 labourers. However, all lost their jobs when the plant stopped production in 2016.
Similar is the case with plants belonging to ‘Sumit Metallics Pvt Ltd’ and ‘Sreeji Steel Ltd’. The ‘Ganesh Sponge Iron Ltd’ plant at Chipinda-Kutagaon is lying closed since September 2012 while the plant belonging ‘Sri Jagannath Metallics’ has also downed its shutters for close to a decade.
Baburam Dehuri who was working in the ‘Ganesh Sponge Iron’ plant said it has been very hard to maintain his family after he lost his job. He said former employees should be taken back if the plant reopens.
Mohan Sundar Mishra, an ex-employee of ‘Odisha Sponge Iron Ltd’ informed that the plant has reopened but they have not been taken back into service. He demanded that priority should be given to the former staff.
Local intellectual Pradip Mohanta said that the Odisha government and the district administration should take steps for rehabilitation of the workers who have lost their jobs.
PNN
