47 years on, Amritsar Vegetable Oil Corp workers still fighting for salary
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, March 9
For the past 47 years, workers of Amritsar Vegetable Oil Corporation Limited, had been fighting for getting their dues and salaries even after the Supreme Court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court decided in the favour of the employees.
The mill was abruptly closed down in 1973 that brought the workers and employees on the road.
Jaivardhan Arora, president of the Amritsar Sugar Mill Mazdoor Union, has now urged Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to intervene and get the properties belonging to the mill auctioned and recover the dues.
Arora said the Revenue Department had even published the advertisement in the newspaper for the auction at least for five times, but now Deputy Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Khaira has put a restriction on the auction and asked the respondents to approach liquidator for recovery. Giving details he revealed that after the company’s shut down in 1973, the central government took over it. However, it hired a new staff. The union headed by Tilak Raj approached the court for recovery of their salaries and bonuses.
He said after the Labour Department failed to recover the dues, it sent the case of recovery to the Land Revenue Department. The district collector issued a recovery certificate and directed a tehsildar to recover the same as per the provisions of the Punjab Land Revenue Act.
Arora said notices were issued to other party, but no satisfactory reply was received from the respondents and later he ordered attachment of the properties in October 2018 and asked for permission of auctioning from then Deputy Commissioner-cum-collector.
He said the DC took permission for the same from Commissioner Jalandhar Division in January 2019. He said advertisements were placed in the media for the same. However, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) started building boundary walls around the said land.
He alleged DC Khaira has neither stopped the CPWD from constructing the wall nor allowed the auction. Instead, he had advised the union to meet liquidator for the recovery. The union urged the CM to intervene and get their dues recovered after auctioning the land.
On the other hand, DC Khaira pointed out CPWD authorities had approached the government for stopping the auction while also bringing to notice that a liquidator was appointed by the government for recovery of the dues. Following this, a committee was formed which was headed by an SDM and district attorney to look into the matter. The union was asked to approach the liquidator on the recommendations of the committee members.
Arora said that already the union had met the liquidator in 2018, who had expressed its inability for the same, while adding that he had no amount to pay the arrears of the workers.
