Counting on state government's immense help, JK lakshmi Cement management on Tuesday said they would prefer solving the local unrest issue through dialogue instead of use of force and are looking for ways to re establish contact with villagers besides trying their best to bring the construction work back on the track as soon as possible. The the management is fully determined to complete the plant at all costs even if the damage in the arson last Thursday evening was massive and would take some time to assess the exact extent of the loss.
Addressing media persons on Tuesday afternoon, Dr Shailendra Chouksey, whole time Director, JK lakshmi Cement said, "The damage done in the act of arson is being assessed and the exact figure could be ascertained after identifying and testing the various equipment and machinery which were subjected to extreme temperatures when strategic locations in the factory were set ablaze by rioting mob from a neighbouring village."
Notably, the under-construction site of the cement major which is setting up 2.7 MT capacity Greenfield plant here with an investment of over Rs.1500 crores, was attacked last week and set ablaze by local villagers.
The top management of the cement major which has been camping in the area reiterated their commitment to restore normalcy in the shortest possible time with the help of the local Administration and the State Government in the best interest of the stake holders.
The villagers involved in the last week incident have been seeking permanent jobs in the Green-field cement factory which is presently under construction. They have been leading protests and agitations for almost two months now despite assurance given by the company of skilled-based jobs to able individuals of the village, Dr Chouksey said.
local villagers of Malpuri Khurd have been agitating for some time seeking permanent jobs at proposed plant irrespective of them having suitable qualification and experience in the relevant field or not. The question of permanent job would arise only when the factory is ready for commissioning and that would also depend on the eligibility and skill-set of the required workforce, said official spokesperson of the company.
''They have been agitating since mid-February and of late indulged in various disturbing activities like stopping construction vehicles forcefully, throwing long nails in front of vehicles to puncture them and other such activities in the plant area. We were trying to convince them through dialogue as JK Organisation did not want any use of force or antagonise the local villagers, but we probably failed to gauge the extent they can go to," said Dr Chouksey.
The villagers damaged the plant property and even set on fire some earth moving equipment, concrete mixers, tractors, lifts, cranes, bull-dozers and many vehicles, including a police Van along with vehicles of the contractors and workers. Also the project office was set ablaze which destroyed vital servers, documents and data. Presently with the help of the local administration, we have brought the situation under control, said DK Mehta, heading the project here.
The damage done on 4th April 2013 act is being ascertained and it would take at least a week to determine the exact loss, Mehta added.
"The damage on the evening of April 4 could have been much more serious leading to even loss of precious human lives but for the bravery exhibited by the companies' local officials, security wing and the workers who were present in the plant along with the support of the brave police and other senior district officials," Dr Chouksey said and added that none of the company officials knew about the whereabouts of Virendra Kurre, the kingpin of the arson even if they knew all the villagers personally.