The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Barge workers stage protest at Collectorate

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Thursday, Nov 06, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Barge workers stage protest at Collectorate

Staff Reporter

Import of fertilizers through anchorage port demanded

Assurance to give them 100 per cent work not kept, they say
Port Officer promises compensation to them

Kakinada: The Kakinada Port Steel Barges and Deep Water Port Workers’ Union has appealed to district Collector Gopalakrishna Dwivedi to ensure that fertilizers are imported through the anchorage port as per an agreement reached with them earlier. They regretted that the Infrastructure and Investment (Ports) Department had ordered that fertilizers be imported through deep water port in violation of prior agreements pertaining to sharing of work at the ports (anchorage and deep water), thus depriving them of livelihood. The alleged diversion of cargo contracted by the anchorage port to deep water port is the crux of the issue.

In a protest demonstration organized in front of the Collector’s office here on Wednesday, union president V Veerababu said because of the impugned order, not a single ship came to the anchorage port and the assurance to provide them 100 per cent work at the deep water port was broken allegedly at the behest of Kakinada MLA and union honorary president Mutha Gopalakrishna.

The Port Officer had promised the anchorage port workers that the entire work at deep water port would be entrusted to them and they would be compensated for the loss of wages on account of the diversion of fertilizer cargo to the deep water port. But, people’s representatives concerned and Chamber of Commerce were denying their due share of work at the deep water port due to their own interests.

The workers have warned that they would intensify their agitation if the cargo destined for anchorage port was diverted, like the ongoing import of fertilizers through the deep water port. This has been their grievance for a long time but the Government was indifferent to their problems.

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