WBIA launch hunger strike;submits 10 point charter of demands

Bhubaneswar,Nov 13 (UNI) Saw Mill owners in Orissa today sat on hunger strike before the state Assembly demanding rehabilitation of old saw mills and wood based industries as per the direction of the Apex court.

The demonstration was organised jointly by the Orissa Wood based Industries Council and Orissa Saw Mills Owners Association under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee of the Wood Based Industries Association(WBIA).

Later a ten point of charter of demands was submitted by the demonstrators urging the government to amend the Orissa Saw Mills and saw Pit(Control) Act 1991 in the line of recommendation of the Central Empowered Committee and the direction of the Apex court.

The WBIA demanded that all the legal 500 odd saw mills and wood based industries established prior to the Act be allowed for relocation in the identified integrated industrial estate in the state.

The Association also urged the state government to liberalise the policies and principles for import of genuine timber from other states by the entrepreneurs, ban on the transport of round timber 'logs to outside the state without value addition and introduce more stringent measures to prevent illegal felling of trees.

WBIA convenor Niranjan Behera regretted that though the mill owners had staged a mass dharna in front of the Assembly in August last to ventilate their grievances to the Chief Minister and the Forest Minister,the state government, had not yet taken any concrete steps to sort out the problems for the survival of the wood based industries in the state.

UNI DP KK RN1914