Assam: Koch Rajbongshis demand jobs for locals in BRPL, threaten indefinite stir

BONGAIGAON: Activists affiliated with the All Koch Rajbongshi Students' Union (AKRSU) and Chilarai Unnayan Mancha today staged a 3 hours-long protest in front of the Refinery at Bongaigaon in Chirang district of Assam.

Peeved at the Indian Oil Corporation for not employing indigenous workers at the plant, the Koch Rajbongshi activists staged a sit-down protest and raised slogans against the Indian Oil Corporation Limited which runs the refinery.

A few days back, the AKRSU had forwarded a letter to the concerned authorities urging for the appointment of locals in the Refinery, only to have their pleas fall on "deaf ears", said an agitator. "

Bikranjit Rai, the district president of the AKRSU, warned that if the Refinery authorities do not sit down for a diuscussion with them, the gateway leading to the Refinery shall be closed down for good.

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"Even though we had submitted a memorandum, the concerned authorities have refused to sit down with us. We have heard that some of the employees working are facing various problems due to negligence on the part of the officials," said an AKRSU activist.

A Chilarai Unnayan Mancha leader has alleged that corruption is rampant in the Bongaigaon Refinery. "The laborers are not getting money as per the pay scale. Whereas daily-wage workers in the Numaligarh Refinery are getting Rs. 850 for their work, workers here are getting only Rs. 400, which is a pittance. Moreover, they are not getting enough security from their employers. The areas are not being developed by the companies and the locals are not finding unemployment.

If their demands are not met, the organizations have resolved to go on an indefinite strike starting tomorrow.

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