The livelihood of nearly 6,500 employees, including workers of Indian Metals and Ferroalloys (IMFA)’s Sukinda and Mahagiri chromite captive mines, are at a risk of losing their jobs as the two captive mines were closed due to violation of pollution norms since April 11.
Meanwhile, IMFA’s Choudwar-based ferrochrome factory and power plant and Rayagada-based Therubali are too heading for a shutdown due to non-supply of raw material from Sukinda and Mahagiri captive mines. These two units used to supply nearly 2,000 tonne chromite daily for the running of the plants.
Notably, during a visit of the officials of the Pollution Control Board of the Kalinganagar unit to the Sukinda and Mahagiri mines of IMFA, a leading ferroalloys producer in the country on March 23, they found some deficiencies in the pollution control initiatives and accordingly slapped show-cause notice. However, dissatisfied over the reply of the IMFA, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board ordered closure of the two mines from April 11. The two mines had been allowed to operate till March 2021.
As per data, the State Government has lost Rs 10 crore revenue since the closure of the captive mines. Nearly, 10,000 people are directly and indirectly depending on the IMFA captive mines and plants for their livelihoods.
Hence, intervention of the Government has become very necessary to save the livelihood of 6,500 employees who fear to lose their job. Incidentally, the IMFA is promoted by the family of senior BJD MP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, who has been raking up political storms by exposing certain weakness in the alleged arbitrary functioning of the ruling party headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Odisha through his Twitter handle and newspaper articles in regular intervals.