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Business in dire straits at Kagaznagar
The lockout of SPM paper mill has grave repercussions not only for the workers but also for various business establishments. The progress of the industrial town of Kagaznagar, which witnessed a rapid development due to industrialisation, is now on the decline.
Adilabad: The lockout of SPM paper mill has grave repercussions not only for the workers but also for various business establishments. The progress of the industrial town of Kagaznagar, which witnessed a rapid development due to industrialisation, is now on the decline.
Workers of the paper mill were being paid on 8th or 9th of every month. The markets witnessed brisk business. But hundreds of contract workers are jobless now. Even the permanent staff members are also not paid for three months. The hustle and bustle of the market is missing now. Traders have been experiencing decline in their business.
“I used to make Rs 1.5 lakh per month. Now it has come down to Rs 50, 000. We are not able to pay wages to our workers,” bewailed Nuthi Sudarsan, a cloth merchant. The workers used to buy goods or clothes on credit. With the mill being closed and the workers not being paid, the dues owed by them have piled up.
The local businessmen fear that if the situation continues for some more time, they may be forced to shut down their business. “I am in neck-deep debt now as workers did not pay back debts,” says Mittapalli Sudarsan, a Kirana merchant. He said he got Rs 1.70 lakh debts to pay off. He used to make Rs 10,000 worth of business a day.
Now it has declined to Rs 1,000 per day. Another merchant Kota Srinivas says that nearly 50 workers owe large sums to him. But they are not in a position to pay back. Now he is also helpless. Another area, which has been badly affected, was hotel industry. The small hotels used to cater to the needs of the workers. Now the hotels also wear deserted look.
“Our business suffered a lot. Sales fell by 70%” says Jagadish, owner of Janapriya hotel at Ambedkar Nagar. On the other hand, the lives of contract workers become miserable. Jadi Mallaiah, Ch Venkati, Ch Baburao became woodcutters after the closure of SPM.
They are forced to treck 12 Km deep into forest for firewood and sell in Kagaznagar market. They appeal to government to supply ration rice to the families. “I used to get Rs 275 per day. But now it is very hard to get Rs 200” lamented Srinivas, who worked in a time office in SPM. He is now assisting construction labours on daily basis.
Another contract worker K Krishna, who worked as machine helper, expressed his agony that no leader paid attention to the plight of the workers. “We become coolies to make our both ends meet” he said. This is not the case of one or two. There were approximately 1600 contract employees who lost their livelihood after the lock-out.
“They suffered in pangs of poverty. Most of them migrated to different parts of the state in searching of jobs. The conditions forced them to go to nearby towns as daily labourers” laments Rajanna Kushana, general secretary, SPM mazdoor union, CITU. All the workers who had lost their jobs are still looking at state government for a generous gesture that could enable resumption of the SPM.
