GUWAHATI, Nov 29 � The Jahaj Karmi Sangha of Central Inland Water Transport Corporation Limited, a Government of India undertaking under the Ministry of Shipping, staged dharna and protest rally at Pandu port today in protest against the �anti-workers policy� adopted by the management of CIWTC Ltd as well as the Shipping Ministry, a press release said.
Since 2002 CIWTC management has been hatching a conspiracy to close down the North-East marine workshop, the only ship repairing workshop in the region. Since then the Jahaj Karmi Sangha has been protesting the anti-employees policy of the management, which has already handed over the Pandu and Jogighopa ports to IWAI and now hatching a conspiracy to hand over the workshop building which is already in deplorable condition, the Sangha stated in the press release.
The Centre had decided to divest the CIWTC Ltd in December 2005 and hand over the River Service Division to a private party. While on the other hand, one of the vital parts of the CIWTC Ltd, the Rajabagan Dockyard (RBD) situated in Kolkata, was handed over to the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) under the Ministry of Defence, alongwith existing manpower and assets in 2006. Since then the employees of the corporation have been demanding the merger of the rest part of CIWTC Ltd with Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) or any other Central Government organisation including its employees as was done in case of Rajabagan Dockyard. There are at present only 403 employees in CIWTC with vast movable and immovable properties and if the CIWTC is handed over to the IWAI alongwith its employees and properties, the IWAI would be much more benefitted, the release added.
The Government of India, ignoring the demands of the employees, decided to hand over the properties of CIWTC to IWAI and the handing over of vessels in Kolkata and the landed properties in Assam sector is under process. The employees of the corporation thus have no other option but protest the move of the Government to hand over the properties of CIWTC to IWAI, the press release stated.
