MARGAO
When a joint inspection by the Labour Commissioner along with the Managing Director, Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) descended at the Cuncolim Industrial Estate in March last, the team came across workers illegally staying inside the industrial units in violation of labour and industrial norms.
The MD, IDC was quick to issue notices to around two dozen erring industrial units to show cause why action should not be initiated against the units for violating labour and industrial norms. The action only substantiated the claims made by Cuncolkars as well as social activists over the years that the workers are being housed inside the Cuncolim Industrial Estate in flagrant violation of the rules in force.
The situation, however, remains unchanged on the ground. The show cause notices issued by the IDC has not been taken to its logical conclusion till date. Leave alone action by the IDC, the industrial units continue to house the industrial workers for reasons best known to the government.
Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho even went to the extent of saying that it is not prudent to initiate action against the erring units for housing workers when the operations are underway, And, promises to work out a solution have only remained on paper as a result of which there’s no stop to industrial workers housed inside the factories. That a young worker from Uttar Pradesh had lost his life couple of years ago, while sleeping in a makeshift accommodation outside an unit, following ammonia gas leakage in another unit, seemed to have come as a wakeup call for the authorities to crack a whip.
