As most of the iron ore mines in the State are closed, most of the industries are facing hardships in procuring raw material for their production. In this scenario iron ore transportation from Sukinda has stopped due to the ‘Dadagiri’ by some unscrupulous elements bringing misery for 1,400 workers, said trade union leader Mayadhar Nayak at a Press conference here on Saturday.
After closure of other mines, the State Government had decided to supply iron ore to the industries from the mines of Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) in Daitari. But for the last three months, no iron ore has been transported from the mine due to the nuisance of the miscreants affecting the iron and steel industries badly. To make matters worse, as the OMC has not taken any pro- active steps, 1,400 workers have been sitting idle due to which resentment is brewing among them, he said.
Every day two to three trains are to be loaded with iron ore. The consumers have deposited money for more than three million tonnes of iron ore with the OMC but are unable to get the material for the last three months. In September, iron ore was loaded for six days, in October for four days and in November the mines were operational for 11 days only, Nayak said.
He said the State Government should take stringent action against the elements who are arm-twisting the consumers and the OMC and demanded that the mines should be made operational soon so that the workers are able to get employment. He warned of stir by the workers if the works in mines and transportation of minerals were not normal.