The Labour Minister had also participated in the first meeting but it did not turn out to be fruitful
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KOLLAM: Attempts to sabotage the Karithura package to mine black sand for Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IRE) here, it is feared is a move to execute the hidden agenda of privatising the public sector company.
The sand mining at IRE’s sites had been stopped for months and several rounds of talks including the one held today to implement the package proved to be inconclusive.
Deliberate attempts to cast a shadow on the grounds that the company could not handle mining would eventually lead to the involvement of the private sector in the area thereby commencing privatization, according to sources.
The company has raw sand sufficient for a month of its operation in stock but still mining has been halted claiming non-availability of sand, sources say.
The Karithura package declared for mining sand from its site at Karithura never took off as the company could not reach a consensus with trade unions on the issue of employing labourers at the site.
The Labour Minister had also participated in the first meeting but it did not turn out to be fruitful. Meetings were also held on September 6 and 19.
Based on the Kurithura package, the area extending from Altharamoodu to Kurithura has been given over for mining under the contract agreement.
The company management is adamant that it can only approve a list of 400 people who are owners of the land leased by the company in the region.
“As many as 28 landowners have not been given resettlement for their lands acquired earlier by the company. The company demanded that they be included in the list but the trade unions refused. They have put forward a suggestion that the trade unions should get a share and can include those awaiting resettlement,” a source from IRE told DC.
Another meeting has been scheduled for September 26. The representatives of unions UTUC, INTUC, and BMS participated while CITU did not in today’s meeting.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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