Manch threatens to resume stir

ROURKELA: Notwithstanding the agitations and police action against the errant management of the defunct refractory plant Orind, now Shaswat International Ltd, the families of around 750 employees continue to be left in the lurch.Lathikata Manzdoor Manch (LMM) president and Birmitrapur MLA George Tirkey has threatened to revive the agitation after April 20. The CITU has also threatened to stage a demonstration at Bhubaneswar on April 23. Lathikata Mazdoor Union president Pravat Mishra said with no earnings, the Orind families are living in penury. Earlier, the management in November last had paid one month salary to the employees and unsuccessfully committed to pay one more month’s salary before February 25.The Orind agitation had got derailed briefly during the Panchayat polls in February. Tirkey in a fresh tirade accused the management of ‘deliberately’ failing in its commitment and questioned the Government’s silence. He demanded salary of 19 months to the existing employees, settlement of all outstanding dues to existing, retired and dead employees and reopening of the plant. The unending Orind crisis is all set to put the Sundargarh district administration in a difficult spot again.It is learnt, the administration has recommended measures to the Government to sort out land issues to pave way for acquisition of Orind by a larger corporate entity.