CPIM Kolar District Conference

Communist Party of India (Marxist) Kolar District Conference has urged the Union Government to set up a railway coach factory in Kolar district as announced in the Railway Budget 2010-11.

The Centre should give priority for local people while recruiting employees for the factory to mitigate the unemployment problem in the parched region, the CPI(M) said in a resolution at its district conference that concluded at Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) on Monday.

The conference demanded more railway infrastructure in the district to boost development.

The conference urged both the Union and State governments to take necessary steps towards implementing an order of the Karnataka High Court directing the Centre to resume the mining operations of Bharat Gold Mines Ltd. (BGML) in public sector.

There was no progress in this direction in spite of the apex court's indictment of the State Government for not taking any steps for revival of the gold mines, CPI (M) State secretary V.J.K. Nair said.

Pointing out that some vested interests were misleading the court, Mr. Nair said: “The BGML was not winded up. Only the mining operations are stopped.” Some people with vested interests are trying to privatise mining operations to reap benefits out of it, he said

Some unscrupulous elements, claiming to be the former employees and officers of BGML, were engaging lawyers to fight their case in the Supreme Court. While the former workers and their families live in abject poverty, from where these people got money to pay to lawyers, he asked.

Ahead of the conference a procession and public meeting was organised in Netaji Park at KGF on Sunday. S.P. Agatyalingam, senior leader of the Tamil Nadu state committe of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has criticised the Union Government for its failure to protect the interests of the erstwhile employees of Bharat Gold Mines Ltd. (BGML).

Though the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance Government closed down the BGML, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government did little to resume its operations, he said.

Addressing the meeting, CPI (M) State secretary V.J.K. Nair said the Union Government had helped the corporate sector by waiving taxes to the tune of Rs. 21 lakh crore in the last three years. CPI (M) district unit secretary G. Arjunan presided over the meeting.

CPI (M) State secretariat member G.C. Bayya Reddy, state committee member Gandhinagar Narayanaswamy and district leader V. Geetha spoke.