Workers demand early payment of arrears, reopening of mines
Despite the assurance given by Union Steel and labour Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and State Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallick for an early reopening of the Biramitrapur-based Bisra Stone lime limited (BSl) after resolving its lease renewal issue, the fate of the mines still hangs in balance.
Notably, the company, which was running with temporary lease since last two years, renews the lease every year. Instead of renewing the lease, the State Government on July 18 ordered to close it down. Thus, the BSl has been standing idle since August 14. This has left around 1,050 labourers directly and many more indirectly jobless in Biramitra Town.
Moreover, the workmen have not been paid their salaries and other PF and lIC premiums for the last five years. Keeping all this in view, several workers led by Biramitrapur MlA George Tirkey staged an agitation demanding immediate disbursement of the workmen’s arrear and reopening of the mines.
Earlier, under the instruction of the IBM, the mining activities of the BSl were halted for a few months due to over production. The workers also urged the SAIl management to take over the mines.