W Odisha workers threaten to stop ESI contribution

The Sundargarh district committee of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on Sunday condemned the labour Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick’s proposal to set up ESIC Medical College at Bhubaneswar and Nursing Schools at Rourkela and Bhawanipatna in the law Ministers’ meeting at New Delhi.

“The labour Minister is ignorant and unaware about the contribution of Sundargarh district labourers and workers’ for the ESIC (Employees State Insurance Corporation),” the CITU said in a Press release. It alleged that the Minister is behaving like a Minister for a particular region not that of the whole State.

“Since there are more than twenty super speciality hospitals in and around Bhubaneswar, setting up of another hospital is not necessary there,” CITU officials said, adding, “The major contribution to ESIC comes from the western Odisha, especially from Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar and Sambalpur districts. As there is not a single super speciality hospital in this region, the ESIC hospital will serve the purpose.”

The Minister should immediately submit a fresh proposal to the Centre for establishment of the ESIC Medical College at Rourkela, it demanded.

In the mean time, a memorandum signed by 30,000 IPs (Insured Persons) of this region was submitted to the ESIC Commissioner. The IPs threatened not to pay ESIC contribution if the proposed college is not set up at Rourkela.

The release signed by CITU national vice-president Bishnu Mohanty, district secretary Banamali Dhupal, Bonai MlA laxman Munda, Jahangir Alli, Biman Maity and Sriman Behera threatened to resort to a movement against the labour Minister’s proposal.