Karnataka - Belgaum   

Festival brings no joy to them

Seeking justice: Workers of Raibag Sahakara Sakkare Karkhane staging ‘satyagraha’ in Belgaum on Wednesday.

Belgaum: Deepavali, the festival of lights symbolising the triumph of righteousness over spiritual darkness, is one of the important festivals celebrated in the country. But, the festival brings no joy to the workers of the bankrupt Raibag Sahakara Sakkare Karkhane whose “satyagraha” for “justice” entered 504th day on Wednesday.

“What Diwali?” and “Whose Diwali?” is how workers such as M.A. Janvekar, M.R. Attar, M.G. Shirodkar, A.K. Magdhum and S.S. Patil reacted while talking to The Hindu here on Wednesday.

For these workers and several others all festivals have lost their meaning and become irrelevant.

The temporary tent at the entrance of the Deputy Commissioner’s office has been their home since June 22, 2006, when they launched “satyagraha” demanding payment of salary due to them for the past six years. A sum of about Rs. 18 crore is due to the workers and more than Rs. 12 crore is yet to be paid for the growers. The workers said that the Government, after being indecisive on their demand to revive the factory and punish the guilty members of management and officials, decided to lease out the factory to private agencies.

A tender notification was issued on February 12 this year inviting bids under lease-rehabilitate-operate and transfer basis. But some persons approached the High Court and obtained a stay against the tender process.

Though political leaders assured the workers that they would try to get the stay vacated, no progress had been achieved in this regard, said Mr. Patil.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Festival brings no joy to them

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu