Durgapur: A protest meeting was held on Tuesday in front of the gate of Jay Balaji Group's Unit No. 4 in Durgapur, called by the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS). Present at the meeting were Durgapur East MLA Chandrasekhar Bandyopadhyay, Raniganj MLA Partha Ghosh, Pandaveswar MLA Jitendra Tiwari, Krishnendu Mukherjee, and local BMS leaders.
While addressing the gathering, the BJP MLAs raised several allegations against the factory authorities. They claimed that local residents are facing problems due to pollution from the factory, yet adequate employment opportunities are not being provided to area residents.
Pandaveswar MLA Jitendra Tiwari said that if this situation continues with locals being deprived, they will launch even stronger protests against the factory management. At one point in his speech, he also made provocative remarks against the management.
Raniganj MLA Partha Ghosh alleged that if the current situation continues, the factory will not be allowed to operate normally. He demanded guaranteed employment for locals.
Durgapur East MLA Chandrasekhar Bandyopadhyay said they also have objections regarding the police's role in recently removing protesting workers from their dharna. He claimed that 24 local workers have been terminated. At the same time, he said their party is not against industry but will continue protests to protect workers' interests and local people's rights.
It should be noted that the allegations and statements made at the meeting represent the demands of the concerned MLAs and protesters. The factory authorities' response on this matter is still awaited.
