Wednesday, September 15, 2010

CPI (M) demands settlement of dues to retrenched labours in Orissa

More than 4,000 labourers, who were retrenched due to shelving of expansion project of Vedanta's Alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district, should have their dues settled and paid immediately, demanded Orissa unit of the CPI (M). A fact-finding team of the party also alleged that these retrenched labourers were beaten up by hired goons with the assistance of police and agents of the ruling party to compel them to leave the area as early as possible without settling their dues.

These workers had been employed for the refinery expansion project of Vedanta through the L&T. The L&T had taken the contract for construction work for the expansion project. This was a sequel to the halt of refinery expansion work at Lanjigarh following N.C. Saxena committee report and subsequent orders by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, stating the expansion as illegal in the absence of statutory environment clearances.
(Courtesy : The Hindu)