Bengal permits all jute mills to resume operations

Kolkata, April 15 (IANS) The West Bengal government on Wednesday permitted all jute mills in the state to resume operations with 15 per cent of their workforce but asked them to ensure workers’ safety and maintain social distancing norms.

Making the announcement, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Jute Corporation of India had submitted to her government a list of 18 jute mills in the state which should be reopened.

“But we feel it would be unfair on the other jute mills. Trade union leaders have also told me that if the mills are to reopen, then all of them should. We can’t discriminate,” Banerjee told media persons here.

According to the Indian Jute Mills Association, there are 69 jute mills in Bengal now employing 2.5 lakh workers. About 40 lakh are involved in jute cultivation in the state.

The Chief Minister said she had received telephonic calls from her counterparts in Punjab and Telangana, as also the Union Textile Minister requesting the mills be reopened in view of the need for jute bags for packaging the Rabi crop with the harvest season having started.

“But frankly speaking, we didn’t want the mills to reopen now, as the areas where the mill are located, are very sensitive. But since various states are facing problems of packaging of the Rabi crop, we have agreed, despite there being risks involved.

“Also, if we don’t allow them to resume operations now, they won’t be able to bag orders for jute bags,” she said.

However, Banerjee made it clear that the mill owners have to safeguard workers’ safety, and ensure social distancing. “The entire Covid protocol has to be maintained.”

IJMA Director General Debasish Roy said they had been in talks with the authorities since the lockdown began on March 23.

“We have told them, in the first place the jute mills shouldn’t have been closed, as we are part of the Essential Commodities Act. We are now awaiting the official order, before deciding the dates and other modalities.”

“We have to come up with some output, because all over India the harvest is lying on the fields, warehouses and mandis in open air. In a few days, the harvest will be spoiled. It’s a serious emergency, it’s a crisis,” Roy told IANS.

Roy said one crucial factor would be getting the labourers, as many of them have gone home to other states.

“We want to work on all three shifts, but we need the labourers, and see whether 15 per cent of them are available now. Many of them have gone back to their villages in Bihar or Jharkhand.

“If we have labourers, then we can run three shifts deploying 15 percent of the workforce,” he said.

Roy said the mills would put in place everything for maintaining social distancing as well as meeting safety concerns.

The Chief Minister also declared that the brick kilns would also resume work with 15 per cent of the workers, who have to be procured locally.

–IANS

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