DIBRUGARH, Feb 2 � Given the failure of Cement Corporation of India, Bokajan to revive itself in seven years despite being subjected under Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) vide case No 501/96 for availing benefits of revival packages, several hundred employees and their dependents now fear seeing the last days of the Bokajan cement factory.
Cement Corporation of India (CCI) Limited was declared sick and subjected under BIFR. The provisions of the BIFR Act covers only for seven years. The Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction under the purview of Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985, was set up by Government of India to tackle the problem of industrial sickness. It had been established as a quasi-judicial body in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, for revival and rehabilitation of potentially sick undertakings and for closure/liquidation of non-viable and sick industrial companies.
In a memorandum addressed to the secretary, President of India, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprise, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Governor of Assam and Government of Assam, Bokajan Cement Corporation Employees� Union has said that the CCI authorities utterly neglected revival measures during the long period of coverage of the directives of BIFR. �We have noticed that �revival packages� which were provided by the Government of India through BIFR were wasted for the failure of the management,� the union alleged.
At different sittings of BIFR, several directives were taken and proposals were offered for implementation of the directives for revival and expansion of the cement factory and for enhancing its performance in productivity. However, the union alleged that directives were not implemented by the CCI authorities. The employees union has blamed the �caretaker management� of gross negligence, lamenting that the desired outcome could not be achieved due to the loopholes in the administrative system. The workers� body have sought proper intervention and necessary action against the management for its alleged negligence.
Alleging further in the memorandum, the union said the authorities failed to implement the Presidential Directive Order No 1 (14) 2006-PE-XII dated June 15, 2006, diverted sanctioned schemes of BIFR, violated Minimum Wages Act and discontinued the initially adopted wage structure, etc.
