Ganjam Vikas Parishad president Duryodhan Panigrahi, former Block Chairman of Ganjam Block Surath Pahan and Ganjam Byabasai Sangh secretary Kahnu Charan Panda have threatened to hold a dharna on October 7 against the anti-people policy of Jayashree Chemicals limited (JCl) in Ganjam.
The dharana will be held on four issues which include providing jobs exclusively to the local unemployed youths, reviewing all appointments made in the industry during last one year, giving work to only local contractors, and measures to prevent water and air pollution.
Notably, the JCl was established in 1967 for which the local residents (people of Ganjam Town/Block and its adjoining villages) had sacrificed their valuable lands with the hope that the company will provide them employment. Besides, the promise of the chairman of the industry had made their expectation high.
However, after the factory was set up, it began betraying the local people. The locals also alleged that in an interview held in recent past for the post of Operators, most of the applicants selected for the posts were from outside and some local candidates who had applied for the job were not allowed to even face the interview.
JCl is also in the habit of not notifying the vacancies to public as per the established principles for which they demanded a review of all appointments made in the plant in last one year. Similarly, the appointment of more than 40 permanent Security Guards in the industry were deliberately outsourced to prevent local people get the job,
they alleged.
In spite of the fact that JCl is making huge profits in the business in the locality, it failed to provide substantive relief to the Super Cyclone and Phailin victims and did not make any visible contribution to local development, they alleged. Moreover, JCl which pollutes the air gives rise to serious health hazards in the locality, besides reducing fish catch in the area as it releases its effluent into the Rusikulya river water through a drain, thereby hampering the livelihood of the local fishermen. Both the State Government and the JCl have reportedly failed to take appropriate and adequate remedial measures and also did not comply fully with the requirements suggested by the Petition Committee of Rajya Sabha on December 8, 1977 to prevent pollution, they pointed out.