This story is from July 3, 2015

Ganjam job seekers end stir after 2 days in Berhampur

The families of 50 deceased employees of Orissa Sands Complex (OSCOM) at Matikhala near Chhatrapur in Ganjam district put off their dharna on Thursday following the assurance of the district collector.
Ganjam job seekers end stir after 2 days in Berhampur
BERHAMPUR: The families of 50 deceased employees of Orissa Sands Complex (OSCOM) at Matikhala near Chhatrapur in Ganjam district put off their dharna on Thursday following the assurance of the district collector. They were on dharna for last two days, demanding jobs in the plant. The employees died during service. The OSCOM is a unit of public sector Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL).
"The collector assured us to take up the matter with the corporate office of the IREL soon. We have suspended our agitation for the time-being," said Ajaya Choudhury, president, IREL (OSCOM) Deceased Employee Families' Association.
Collector (Ganjam) PC Chaudhary held discussions with the agitators at Chhatrapur. He also discussed the matter with the authorities of the OSCOM.
Family members of the deceased employees launched the dharna in front of the plant gate, demanding jobs under compassionate grounds. On June 17, they had also staged a dharna, but postponed it when the district administration assured them to discuss the demand with the authorities of OSCOM.
"We will resume our agitation if the authorities fail to fulfil our demand," said Rabindra Behera, one of the agitators.
The association alleged barring the OSCOM, the IREL authorities are giving appointment to the next of kin of those who died in other units, including the corporate office in Mumbai.
The IREL under the atomic energy department of the Union government has units like the Chavara Mineral Division, the Rare Earths Division and the Indian Rare Earth Research Centre (all in Kerala) and the Manavalakurichi Mineral Division in Tamil Nadu.
The IREL authorities, however, stopped appointments on compassionate grounds at OSCOM in 2002. The OSCOM officials declined to comment on the issue.
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