Mulugu: BILT workers' march to Pragathi Bhavan

Mangapet (Mulugu): The frustrated employees of Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT) on Saturday set out on padayatra to Pragathi Bhavan, the Chief Minister's official residence in Hyderabad, from Kamalapuram in Mangapet mandal.

It may be recalled that the Gautham Thaper-led Avantha Group's BILT was shut down in April 2014, citing adverse global and domestic market conditions, thus affecting the livelihoods of at least 1,200 employees including contract and daily wage laborers. Since the closure, the employees have been demanding the revival of the unit.

Lingampalli Srinivas, a union leader, said that they had been living without salaries for the last 74 months. Since the closure, as many as 36 employees died, he said.

It may be mentioned that even after the State government issued GO MS 91 on December 14, 2015 granting a subsidy amounting to the tune of Rs 45 crore per annum towards procuring pulpwood – Eucalyptus and Bamboo – power bills, etc., to revive the plant. However, the BILT management has not shown any intent to restart it.

Apart from meeting Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, the employees have plans to meet Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and submit a memorandum to re-open the unit.