Nizam Sugar Factory workers slam KCR’s announcement

Nizamabad: Workers of the closed Nizam Sugar Factory (NSF) are spending both anxious and agitated moments following the announcement of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that the State government has no plans to revive the unit. They are extremely worried.

The Chief Minister’s stand goes against the pre-election promise of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) that it would revive NSF within 100 days of coming to power but the TRS government has been in power for the last two and a half years. The volte-face by the pink party is being questioned by both the NSF trade unions and workers.

The CM’s announcement comes in the wake of the lay-off declared last year by the management of the Nizam Deccan Sugars Ltd, citing shortage of sugarcane and water. This weeks, the management extended the lay-off period by one more year.

KCR’s stand on the NSF effectively resulted in virtual evaporation of hopes of the workers had in seeing the revival of sugar factories in Medak and Metpatti. Both the workers and residents of the town are deeply disappointed with KCR’s announcement, which has placed in jeopardy the future of 300 workers who had lost jobs.

Workers, farmers and the Opposition parties are getting ready to once again launch a massive agitation demanding the revival of NSF and to make the TRS party to honour its poll assurance, Deploring KCR’s stand, Dandi Venkat, CPI(M) leader, told The Hans India here on Wednesday that the factory workers had high hopes that the lay-off clamped by the Nizam Deccan Sugars Ltd factories in Bodhan, Medak and Metpatti would be lifted by the government.

But KCR’s decision has virtually gone against the TRS promises held out to the NSF workers, he lamented. Venkat and other residents of the town have demanded the State government to re-consider its decision not to revive the NSF on humanitarian grounds.