The State government on Sunday directed the management of Chittivalasa Jute Mills to reopen it immediately.
After a meeting initiated by Minister for Higher Education Ganta Srinivasa Rao at the Circuit House and attended by Minister for Labour K. Atcham Naidu and top officials, it was decided to convene a meeting with owners of the mill to lift the ‘lockout’ imposed on April 20, 2009.
Labour Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu, Joint Labour Commissioner S. Lakshminarayana, Chittivalasa Jute Mill Workers’ Union president K.K. Varahala Raju, INTUC district president Mantri Rajasekhar, district general secretary Neerukonda Ramachandra Rao and others attended.
The meeting was convened by Mr. Srinivasa Rao, who represents Bhimili constituency, in response to a news item published in these columns last week under the headline “Workers’ union to move SC for reopening of jute mill.” The report highlighted the plight of the workers due to closure of the mill for over five years.
“The mill’s ownership has become sub judice following a dispute with the owners and another party which paid advance to them for buying it. Hence, we wanted to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court to open it immediately on humanitarian grounds,” workers’ union president Varahala Raju told The Hindu.
Minister’s pleaMr. Atcham Naidu told the representatives of the union to extend cooperation for reopening of the mill and explore a negotiated settlement over payment of their dues. The Minister asked the Labour Department officials to promise whatever the management wanted on behalf of the government to resume production.
With a solution in sight after such a long time, INTUC leaders expressed their happiness. “We are very happy that due to the initiative of Mr. Srinivasa Rao and Mr. Atcham Naidu, the stalemate over functioning of the mill will end soon,” Mr. Ramachandra Rao said.
