Employees of the Uttarakhand Seeds and Terai Development Corporation (USTDC) facing an uncertain future vented their ire on PS Bisht who had recently tendered his resignation from the post of the corporation’s managing director for his alleged responsibility in the drastic financial loss faced by the corporation. After his resignation was accepted by the authorities on Monday, he had come to the USTDC headquarters at Haldi on Tuesday when the angry employees came to know about this and blocked his vehicle for about one hour till the arrival of police force.
After the state administration accepted his resignation from the post on Monday, Bisht arrived at the corporation headquarter to give up charge on Tuesday. As the corporation employees came to know about the ex-managing director’s arrival, blocked the path of the vehicle in which he was travelling by sitting down on the road in front of the vehicle. In response, he informed the police seeking their intervention, which further exacerbated the sentiment of anger among the corporation employees. It was only after much argument and inconvenienve that he was escorted away from the site in the presence of the police force. When the former managing director was being driven out from the corporation compound in a hurry, the employees of the corporation raised slogans against him providing an undesirable send-off. According to information being provided by sources, after accepting Bisht’s resignation, the state administration has given the charge of the managing director’s post to Indian Administrative Service officer Sridhar Babu, though this could not be confirmed officially. Observers point out that the new managing director of USTDC faces daunting tasks which cannot be deferred like getting the corporation to work properly, facilitate the disbursal of the four-month due salaries of corporation employees and to clear the outstanding dues to seed producers for their produce. In addition to this, the situation in the corporation is such that the plan required has not yet been prepared regarding the quantity of seed production to be set for the coming Rabi 2016-17 season.
The undesirable financial situation of the corporation is also denting the faith placed upon it by the farmers. Further, the Uttarakhand administration has not yet clarified whether or not it will facilitate grant for the working capital of the corporation.
Observers point out that in this situation, the production of seeds for Rabi 2016-17 season will now depend on grant from the state administration. It is also being averred that in case the required funds are not made available timely to provide wheat seeds to the cultivators, the corporation could suffer a loss of about Rs 100 crore which might even lead to its collapse, averred the protesting employees.