Com Dipankar Mukherjee, National Secretary
CITU, expired on 18th June 2012 at Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi at the
age of 70 years, after about a fortnight’s confinement there. On 30th
May 2012, he was admitted to Hospital with serious illness, on 1st June
he had to undergo a major 9-hour-long surgery in pancreatic zone for
removal of a lump which lasted for about nine hours. After surgery, he
was slowly recovering at the initial phase, but from 14th June onward,
the situation took a complicated turn and he finally breathed his last
on 18th June morning.
Dipankar Mukherjee was born in June 1943 in Calcutta. His father was a railway worker. He had a brilliant educational career throughout his student life. He graduated in electrical engineering from Banaras Hindu University and started his working life in BHEL in Bhopal. He also worked in high position in Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation, Ramagundam Plant in Andhra Pradesh. He was closely associated with Peoples’ Science movement. He left the coveted job of Additional Chief Engineer of Haldia Fertilisers and joined as a whole timer of CITU in 1991 and took active part in trade union movement since then. Having deep knowledge of industrial engineering and industrial economics across the industries, particularly in power, fertilisers, petroleum he made useful contributions in the struggle for revival of sick industries and sick-PSUs in particular and also against the anti-PSU policies of the successive governments. As a trade union leader, he was acclaimed for his deep knowledge and his consistent class outlook. He was elected National Secretary of CITU in 2003 and represented CITU in various forums. He was CITU representative in Central Board of Trustees of Employees Provident Fund Organisation till his demise.
Com Dipankar was a brilliant parliamentarian with versatile capabilities. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 1994 from West Bengal as a CPI(M) member and played important role in intervening effectively on all crucial economic and industrial policy related issues during his 12 year-long parliamentary stint till 2006. He made notable contribution in developing an alternative workable vision on pricing of petroleum products in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum & Natural Gas during his tenure in that committee—totally opposite to the present policy of deregulation. His interventions in parliamentary debates in exposing the faulty and anti-people policy of the successive govts on fertilizer, power, petroleum, etc, his brilliant speeches in exposing the privatization of blue chip PSUs like Balco, IPCL etc., the shady deal of sale-out of Centaur Hotel, the conspiracy behind dubious game-plan of disinvestment of the shares of PSUs to set in the process of “creeping privatization”, the shady deals to hand over the control and business of Delhi and Mumbai Airports to private players are some of the instances which will be remembered for ever. He had been also very vociferous in raising the issues on rights and livelihood of working class and peasantry on the floor of Parliament in a regular manner. He also his mark as Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport & Tourism, Chairman, Committee of Petitions and Chairman, Committee on Subordinate Legislations at different spell of his Parliamentary tenure.
He was a prolific writer on trade union, economic and political issues and used to contribute regularly in the trade union and political journals. He wrote many pamphlets which were published by CITU. Notables were his pamphlet exposing the “Indo-US Nuclear Deal” and booklet on “Employees Pension Scheme”. He discharged the responsibility as Working Editor of “The Working Class” and “CITU Mazdoor”, the monthly journals of CITU in English and Hindi till the last day of his life.
In Dipankar Mukherjee’s death, CITU has lost one of its frontline leaders, the trade union movement has lost a leading figure working for unity of the working class in the frontline of struggle, the country has lost a committed soldier for the cause of the working people. While expressing grief for the departed comrade, CITU conveys condolence to his colleagues, friends and family members and dips its flag in respect to his memory.
Dipankar Mukherjee was born in June 1943 in Calcutta. His father was a railway worker. He had a brilliant educational career throughout his student life. He graduated in electrical engineering from Banaras Hindu University and started his working life in BHEL in Bhopal. He also worked in high position in Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation, Ramagundam Plant in Andhra Pradesh. He was closely associated with Peoples’ Science movement. He left the coveted job of Additional Chief Engineer of Haldia Fertilisers and joined as a whole timer of CITU in 1991 and took active part in trade union movement since then. Having deep knowledge of industrial engineering and industrial economics across the industries, particularly in power, fertilisers, petroleum he made useful contributions in the struggle for revival of sick industries and sick-PSUs in particular and also against the anti-PSU policies of the successive governments. As a trade union leader, he was acclaimed for his deep knowledge and his consistent class outlook. He was elected National Secretary of CITU in 2003 and represented CITU in various forums. He was CITU representative in Central Board of Trustees of Employees Provident Fund Organisation till his demise.
Com Dipankar was a brilliant parliamentarian with versatile capabilities. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 1994 from West Bengal as a CPI(M) member and played important role in intervening effectively on all crucial economic and industrial policy related issues during his 12 year-long parliamentary stint till 2006. He made notable contribution in developing an alternative workable vision on pricing of petroleum products in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum & Natural Gas during his tenure in that committee—totally opposite to the present policy of deregulation. His interventions in parliamentary debates in exposing the faulty and anti-people policy of the successive govts on fertilizer, power, petroleum, etc, his brilliant speeches in exposing the privatization of blue chip PSUs like Balco, IPCL etc., the shady deal of sale-out of Centaur Hotel, the conspiracy behind dubious game-plan of disinvestment of the shares of PSUs to set in the process of “creeping privatization”, the shady deals to hand over the control and business of Delhi and Mumbai Airports to private players are some of the instances which will be remembered for ever. He had been also very vociferous in raising the issues on rights and livelihood of working class and peasantry on the floor of Parliament in a regular manner. He also his mark as Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport & Tourism, Chairman, Committee of Petitions and Chairman, Committee on Subordinate Legislations at different spell of his Parliamentary tenure.
He was a prolific writer on trade union, economic and political issues and used to contribute regularly in the trade union and political journals. He wrote many pamphlets which were published by CITU. Notables were his pamphlet exposing the “Indo-US Nuclear Deal” and booklet on “Employees Pension Scheme”. He discharged the responsibility as Working Editor of “The Working Class” and “CITU Mazdoor”, the monthly journals of CITU in English and Hindi till the last day of his life.
In Dipankar Mukherjee’s death, CITU has lost one of its frontline leaders, the trade union movement has lost a leading figure working for unity of the working class in the frontline of struggle, the country has lost a committed soldier for the cause of the working people. While expressing grief for the departed comrade, CITU conveys condolence to his colleagues, friends and family members and dips its flag in respect to his memory.
