KOLLAM(Kerala) | Aug 27, 2015: Indian Rare Earths (IRE) should take steps to resume the mining of mineral sand on the land along the Kollam-Alappuzha coasts that have been acquired by the company, Rajya Sabha Member and district secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) K.N. Balagopal has said.
In a letter to R.N. Patra, Chairman and Managing Director of IRE, Mr. Balagopal said the mining activity remained suspended since June last year. This has affected the livelihood of 245 workers who have been employed by the company for loading the sand from mining sectors.
These workers are being denied their due salaries from October. Mr. Balagopal said in the letter that as per an agreement reached between the company, the State government, and the trade union leaders, if loading remained suspended due to reasons for which the workers were not responsible, they would pay half the sum of their basic salary and dearness allowance for a maximum period of 245 days in a year.
The present suspension of mining is due to breach of sand banks along the coast. Yet the workers are not being paid their salaries. These workers are now on hunger strike in front of the company’s Chavara unit.
Their plight during the Onam festival season is most painful. Mr. Balagopal said in addition to the breached areas, the IRE had acquired 82 acres of land for mining but the mining process had not started there. If steps are taking to start mining operation there, it will bring much relief to the workers, he said.
(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)