Port Blair, July 09: The PCC Chief Kuldeep Rai Sharma has requested the Minister of Environment and Forests Mrs Jayanthinatarana and appeal to bestow her personal attention for expeditious clearance of the Cabinet proposal which is under consideration that would put an end to the uncertainty of the employees and workers of ANIFPDCL.
In his letter Sharma has referred his earlier correspondences regarding the burning issues and pathetic condition of the employees of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Forest and Plantation Development Corporation Ltd. (ANIFPDCL), functioning as a PSU under administrative control of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and again stated that the regular employees of ANIFPDCL are still been deprived of the benefit of VIth pay Commission and the industrial workmen have not been given pay revision for the last 20 years despite a settlement reached between the workmen and the management of ANIFPDCL in 2007 as the proposal for revival and restructuring of the ANIFPDCL (which is under consideration) has delayed and that the employees and workers are in the verge of starvation as they are facing extreme difficulties to meet even the essential expenditure in the sky-rocketing increase in cost of living in A&N Islands.
He has also stated in his letter that the loan assistance from Ministry of E&F of Rs 17 crores as proposed for the deficit in fund to meet the expenditure for the payment salary and wages for 2013-14 is delayed. No fund is left with ANIFFPDCL to disburse the salary and wages from the month of June, 2013, which will further deteriorate the condition of employees and workers. In this connection a letter has already been sent by the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration Mr. Anand Prakash addressed to Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of E&F requesting for immediate release of loan assistance.
Since the cabinet proposal of revival and restructuring of the ANIFPDCL by changing the ownership to AN Administration is almost to its final stage. Sharma has requested for expeditious clearance of the cabinet proposal to put an end to the uncertainty of the future of the employees and workers and also requested to release at least five crores in advance from the loan assistance so that disbursement of salary and wages are timely made to the poor employees and workers.
