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| Fresh Naxal threat to Nalco mines complex |
| Dillip Satapathy / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar Aug 12, 2009, 00:25 IST |
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Public sector National Aluminium Company (Nalco) has come under fresh threat of naxal attack with the red rebels issuing an ultimatum to the company authorities to fulfill certain demands relating to the contract labourers and peripheral development.
The threat has come barely four months after the daring attack on the Nalco’s Panchpatmali bauxite mines in Koraput which claimed the lives of 10 Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) jawans.
According to sources, in a letter addressed to the top brass of the company’s refinery and mines complex at Damanjodi, the red rebels have taken exception to the failure of the company to regularize the services of all contract labourers and undertake adequate peripheral development work in the vicinity of the mines area.
The one page letter, written in Telugu, has given one month time to the company to comply with their demand for regularization of the jobs of contract labourers and also inform the public about the peripheral development work being undertaken for the villagers in the surrounding area of the mines.
It warned of attack by the ultras on the company facilities if Nalco management failed to meet the demands.
Nalco has about 2,000 contract labours working in its Damanjodi complex out of which 300 are engaged in mining activity.
Interestingly, the rebels have expressed their willingness to hold discussion with the Nalco authroties on these issues if the company displayed a positive attitude towards solving the problems of the locals.
The development has shaken the officials of Nalco’s refinery and mines complex at Damanjodi which was limping back to normalcy after the April 12 attack by the naxals.
“After receiving the letter three days back, we are taking all measures to step up the security of the mines area. We have also intimated the district administration including the district collector and superintendent of police (SP) about the development”, said senior official of the company.
When contacted the Koraput SP, Deepak Kumar, however, said, “no one from the company has either met or spoken to him yet on the naxalite threat to the refinery and mines complex. I have come to know from some local sources about the development, which is a matter of concern”.
Meanwhile, some officials of the company doubt the veracity of the letter saying its “tone and tenure”, particularly relating to offer for holding talks by the ultras who mostly prefer to remain underground, did not match with the style of functioning of the naxals. It may be just the handiwork of some contract labours who have been demanding for regularization of their jobs for some time, they added.
It may be noted, after the April 12 attack on the company’s Panchpatmali bauxite mines, the company had taken several steps for upgrade of security at the mines which included increase in the strength of CISF personnel deployed at the mines from 89 to 197 jawans and fortification of the mines area. In addition the company had drastically reduced the storage of explosives at the magazine house to the barest minimum of about 4-5 days consumption.
The security in the mines is mostly looked after by the CISF in co-ordination with the district administration and state police.
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