Locals cry foul over denial of jobs in RFCL

Demand that the promise made to them by State government be fulfilled

Unemployed youth and the children of the displaced employees of Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCI), Ramagundam, have been crying foul over denial of employment to the locals in the new Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (RFCL), which is coming up in place of the FCI at Ramagundam.

Public hearing

During a public hearing for the revival of FCI as gas-based RFCL in 2015, the management had assured the locals of providing 10% quota to them in jobs. The locals and the children of the retired and displaced employees of the former FCI expected that they would get jobs in the revived RFCL. But their dreams have been shattered as the management has barely accorded them any priority in the recruitment for management and junior engineer posts.

Some time ago, the RFCL issued a notification for all-India recruitment for 337 posts in three phases. A total of 101 management posts were filled and another 56 junior engineers selected through GATE were recruited and posted at the plant.

The authorities should recruit locals for junior engineer grade-C jobs such as mechanical, chemical, electrical and instrumentation engineering. But the notification issued at the national level denied the locals the opportunity to apply for the posts.

Surya, a B.Tech student from Ramagundam, said the RFCL had issued three notifications only at the national level denying them jobs. Despite the locals losing their land for the plant to be established at Ramagundam, they were not considered for the jobs at the RFCL.

A former employee of the FCI, Linga Murthy, demanded that the authorities concerned and local leaders ensure that the promise made to them by the State government as well as the RFCL management was fulfilled.

Another former employee said that there was no proper leadership to exert pressure on the Union Government to fulfil its promise of providing employment to the locals.

Meanwhile, the official sources said they have received representations from the retired employees and others and have informed the same to the higher-ups in New Delhi.

They said a high-level committee was expected to visit the RFCL soon to address the grievances of the locals.