RAIPUR: Production at National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) Limited’s Bacheli plant, located 28 km from Dantewada district headquarters in tribal Bastar in Chhattisgarh remained shut for the third consecutive day on Saturday with thousands of villagers from nearby villages staging dharna at the main entry gate of the plant and attempting to enter the campus, demanding employment for locals.
NMDC officials, however, claimed that the agitation was a politically driven campaign aimed at fulfilling some vested interest, causing a huge loss of over Rs 50 crore to the company in the last three days.
According to the agitating villagers, the red water emanating from the NMDC plants is affecting 12 villages situated adjacent to it. They have been demanding employment for the villagers affected by the company. They demand contractual appointment in the labour category, said the villagers. However, the company gives opportunities to outsiders instead of giving them to locals, they alleged. Dantewada district panchayat president Tulika Karma, daughter of sitting MLA Devki Karma and Bastar ‘tiger’ late Mahendra Karma, is said to be leading the agitation of the villagers.
A meeting between the delegation of the villagers and the NMDC officials held on Saturday afternoon failed to reach a consensus. After which, the villagers again sat on ‘dharna’ outside the plant.
Meanwhile, a senior official of the Dantewada district administration said that there the affected villagers demand employment under the company’s contract policy. The district collector and the superintendent of police had also intervened to settle the matter following which the NMDC had agreed on providing employment as contract labour to at least 10 people in each village. In this way, 120 people from 12 villages will get employment.
There was a meeting on August 20 in which the NMDC had given its consent to giving employment to 50 per cent of people. However, the company did not take any initiative in this direction, said the official.
