Puducherry state committee of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) on Monday condemned the decision to sell over 55 acres belonging to the government-run Anglo-French Textile (AFT) Mill to settle payment of gratuity to the retired workers.
The committee stated that the government’s move to sell the immovable property of the mill is unethical.
It further added that it could not be done to settle the dues. Moreover, in this case, they are not following any of those rules and are bidding to sell this immovable property in the name of ‘land bank’ to private sectors, which is illegal.
It is the responsibility of the Puducherry government to provide Employees Provident Fund (EFP) and gratuity to the retired employees.
“The government is setting a bad example by deciding to sell the property of the mill,” stated the committee in their press release.
The employees who had retired from 2009 are yet to get their gratuity amounting to Rs 27 crore.
Mill has to pay EFP dues
The mill has to even pay the EFP dues of Rs.29 crore into the accounts of employees. This sale of immovable property is expected to settle the payment of gratuity and EFP of around 1,076 workers in the mill.
The value of the 55 acre land in Pattanur in Villupuram district, quarter of an acre in Thengaithittu and 1.5 acres in Thirubhuvanai in Puducherry, comes up to Rs.73.38 crore.
