Jajpur: Over 20,000 contractual workers and 5,000 regular employees who were earlier employed at the Kalinganagar industrial complex in Jajpur district have lost their jobs over the past five years.
Employment opportunities have hugely contracted in the district, as several industries including Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited, Mesco Steels Limited, Maithan Ispat Limited, Rohit Ferro-Tech Limited and Yazdani Steel and Power Limited have shut down.
In addition, the COVID-19 outbreak in Jajpur district has added to the job seekers’ woes, which has staggered their fiscal standing. Most of them still strive hard to eke out their living under the gloomy economic scenario, lamented local residents.
Interestingly, the Kalinganagar industrial complex was established during the 1990s. Jajpur denizens had wholeheartedly welcomed this step of the state government towards industrialization as it had opened the gates for employment of local youth. Mesco was the first private industrial unit which had setup its plant in the district.
Later, the industrial house obtained two iron mines under Joda mining division. Subsequently, following the hearing of a case on gross irregularities by Mesco, the Supreme Court ordered to collect a penalty of Rs 924.75 crore.
The company had to shut down as Mesco authorities could not pay the penalty imposed on them. Maithan Ispat Limited, which belonged to the same group of industries, also shut down.
Likewise, Tata Steels Limited had employed about 36,108 contractual workers and 2,602 regular employees at its Kalinganagar factory by March 2015. By March 2016, only 17,699 contractual workers and 2,682 regular employees were working at the factory, Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) sources informed. The contractual workers, it was learnt, had been deployed through private agencies.
Similarly, Nilachal Ispat Nigam Limited which was a joint venture enterprise between Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation of India Limited (MMTC) and Odisha Mining Corporation Limited (OMC), Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa Limited (IPICOL) was completely shut down since April this year.
As a result, about four thousand contractual workers as well as regular employees who were previously engaged in this unit lost their jobs.
Apart from the above, nearly 60% of regular employees and other contractual workers of Brahmani River Pellets Limited (BRPL), Jindal Steels Limited and Yazdani Steel and Power Limited have lost jobs during this period, RPDAC sources informed.
PNN