Vedanta Group CEO Tom Albanese met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Secretariat on Thursday and urged him to provide bauxite to the refinery at the earliest so that the plant would not suffer losses.
Normal life was hit in various parts of Kalahandi and Rayagada districts as lanjigarh people observed a 12-hour block-level bandh here on Thursday protesting against closure of the Vedanta alumina refinery and demanding its operation with full capacity.
“Thousands of labourers are engaged in the refinery and are earning `5,000 to `15,000 per month. They would lose their livelihood if the plant closes,” said lanjigarh labour union president Chandra Pesnia.
He demanded that the Government provide them immediate source of livelihood or arrange bauxite source for the Vedanta refinery to resume production.
They submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through lanjigarh tehsildar Pitamabr Bhoi.
A week ago, they had also submitted a memorandum to the CM through the District Collector. All MlAs in the district had met the Chief Minister and apprised him of the matter.
The unit is currently operating with a daily loss of Rs 3 crore which is unviable to sustain if this scenario prolongs, said Bhoi. The plant closure would have a direct and indirect impact on the lives of around 10,000 employees, he added.
Among others, Zilla Parishad member Rajendra Singhdeo, lanjigarh Anchalik Vikash Parishad president Sridhar Pesnia led the bandh.
Schools, colleges, banks, business establishments and all Governemnt office remained closed.