TUs to paralyse all central undertakings in Orissa on June 30

Bhubaneswar, June 25 (UNI) As a mark of protest against the off loading of ten per cent equity in NALCO by the UPA government, seven trade unions and four political parties in Orissa today announced to paralyse the functioning of all the central government undertakings on June 30 next.

At a meeting here the leaders of AITUC, INTUC, BMS, HMS, UTUC(LS), CITU and AICCTU condemned the UPA government's decision to go for ten per cent disinvestment in the profit making NALCO and decided to paralyse all the central government undertakings in Orissa to lodge their protest.

AITUC, Orissa unit, president Souribandhu Kar said the railways and the Airline services would be also paralysed on the day. Leaders of CPI, CPI(M) SUCI and the BJD, who attended the meeting, also extended their full support to the call.

Mr Kar said during the second phase of agitation, a delegation of the trade union leaders from Orissa would visit Delhi to apprise Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to reconsider NALCO disinvestment issue.

If the UPA government, he said fall to reconsider the decision, the trade unions would go for Orissa Bandh and then paralyse the operation of NALCO for indefinite period.

The production in NALCO's Smelter Plant at Angul, Refinery at Damanjodi and Mines at Panchputmali in Koraput was stalled for a day by the striking company employees in protest of the UPA government's decision on the disinvestment issue.

The ruling BJD led by few Ministers also staged a protest demonstration before the NALCO's corporate office here yesterday.

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had already apprised the Prime Minister on widespread discontentment among the people of Orissa against the disinvestment in NALCO and urged him to reconsider the decision.

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