Protests again over industries closure

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, DEC. 15.

Taking the lead over the BJP, thousands of industrial workers, factory owners and representatives of the Delhi Manufacturers' Association under the umbrella of Delhi Pradesh Congress(I) Committee today hit the streets to protest against indiscriminate closure of industries ordered by the Union Urban Development Ministry. They also demanded resignation of Delhi BJP MPs for their failure to impress upon their Central Government to amend the Master Plan of Delhi.

Angry workers, factory owners, Congress(I) MLAs, Councillors and party workers directed their wrath at the NDA Government and Mr. Jagmohan for turning a blind eye to the miseries. They shouted anti-BJP and anti-Jagmohan slogans and began the march from Jantar Mantar. However, they were prevented from proceeding beyond Parliament Street police station by the personnel.

Addressing the demonstrators, DPCC(I) president, Mr. Subhash Chopra, -- who termed the struggle as ``Nayaya Yudh'' -- blamed the previous BJP Government in Delhi for the present mess and said that the unimaginative affidavit filed by the former Chief Minister, Mr. Sahib Singh Verma, in a hurry in 1996 has landed nearly 1.50 lakh factory owners and more than 15 lakh industrial workers in a precarious situation.

The Urban Development Minister, Mr. Jagmohan, was trying to remove all industries from Delhi in an arbitrary manner, he said. It was not clear what the definition for polluting industries was and which industries came under the notification issued by the Urban Development Ministry.

Accusing Mr. Jagmohan of adopting a rigid stand, Mr. Chopra said the livelihood of lakhs of workers and factory owners was more important than the Master Plan and there was no reason why it could not be amended. The Master Plan has been amended more than 220 times why it cannot be amended one more time, he asked.

He also demanded that areas with more than 70 per cent industry, should be declared industrial. He wondered what would happen to those industries which had installed anti-pollution ETP plants at considerable cost and who would compensate the owners if they were to be shifted out of their present location. He urged the Centre to work out a comprehensive compensation package scheme for lakhs of workers who would be affected.

Mr. Chopra said the Congress was not against shifting of polluting units, but it certainly was not for implementation of a policy which would render lakhs of workers unemployed at one stroke. Senior leaders including Mr. Jag Parvesh Chandra, Mr. Sajjan Kumar, Mr. Jagdish Tytler, Mr. Bhisham Sharma, Mr. Arvinder Singh Lovely, Mr. Nasib Singh, Mr. Karan Singh and Mr. Mukesh Sharma declared that the struggle would go on till justice was done.

Mr. Mukesh Sharma accused the Police of trying to crush the agitation at the behest of the Union Home Ministry. He decried the strong-arm tactics adopted by the police against the protesters. Mr. Ajit Chaudhary, Councillor, and leader of the Delhi Manufacturers Federation made it clear that the factory owners and workers would fight unitedly the wrong policies of the Centre.

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