Thousands of mill workers lost their jobs due to the closure of a dozen jute mills due to the shortage of jute.
Thousands of mill workers lost their jobs due to the closure of a dozen jute mills due to the shortage of jute.
The Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against the policies of the central government on the jute sector. Senior party leaders, including ministers Moloy Ghatak and Becharam Manna, were present at the meeting that gathered outside the office of the Jute Commissioner of India in Kolkata’s Salt Lake area.
INTTUC state president Ritabrata Banerjee demanded the formation of a centre-state joint inquiry committee (JIC) within and outside the textiles ministry to identify the culprits “conspiracy to destroy the jute sector of West Bengal”. . A memorandum was also submitted to Jute Commissioner Moloy Chandan Chakraborty, who said he would look into the document.
Supporters of the state’s ruling party’s labor wing INTUC burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal. INTTUC sought immediate revision of the price ceiling of raw jute to Rs 6,500 per quintal as per the suggestions of the Tariff Commission, introduction of new prices of jute bags pending from April 1, 2021 and retrospective effect from September 2016.
This is the first major protest since the closure of over a dozen jute mills in the past few months due to short supply of raw jute, leaving thousands of jute mill workers without work. The development comes ahead of a tripartite meeting of representatives of the Centre, West Bengal government and jute mills, including the Indian Jute Mills Association, on May 9.
West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice-president and Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh is also blaming the jute commissioner’s office under the Textiles Ministry for the mess. Last week. Mr Singh met Union Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal in Delhi on the issue and said that the meeting was fruitful. There can be no solution before a tripartite meeting. We cannot be seduced by mere assurances,” the BJP MP said, adding that he too would join the protest if no result came out after the meeting on May 9.