Punjab CM shuts down liquor factory leaving over 1000 people jobless

Zira, Jan 20: The announcement of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann to shut down the Zira liquor factory has irked more than 1,000 employees who have been rendered jobless. “Instead of making an announcement in a hurry, the CM should have at least waited to receive the reports of probe committees formed after his order,” an aggrieved Gurjeet Singh, 32, said. Gurjeet has been working as an IT professional with Malbros International Private Limited, since 2015, with a salary of ₹31,000.

 

 

 

“Initially, the company paid us salary regularly for three months after the start of agitation, but later we got nothing. Running daily affairs of the family has now become almost impossible,” Gurjeet said, who has to take care of his old parents.

 

 

 

“We are now searching for online assignments to make both ends meet,” he added. Gurpreet Singh, a supervisor at a factory, said the Punjab and Haryana high court’s order brought some hope. “Initially instructions of Punjab and Haryana high court brought us some hope that the factory will resume functioning but now the order of CM Bhagwant Mann is a death knell for our livelihood,” said Gurpreet Singh, 43, who has been working at the factory for the last one and half year. “Who will give me a job now? I have to take care of my mother, who is a heart patient, my infant son, and my wife. I cannot afford to migrate to Ludhiana or any major city at this age to earn a livelihood,” he said. Joginder Singh, 50, a senior supervisor at the factory since 2010, said his salary of ₹28,000 monthly was taking care of his family, but now he is left pondering over his next move. “There seems no end to our problem of employment. When state government cannot give us employment, how could they snatch it overnight,” Joginder said, claiming, “I have drinking water from the same factory for more than a decade but have not developed any health issue.” He said he sent his son to Canada last year for higher studies after taking a loan, and now he is worried about the EMIs. “Last year, I sent my son to Canada for higher study after taking loans from a bank and private financiers. Now without any source of income, how will I repay the loan,” he said. Satinder Kumar, 41, worked as deputy manager of HR in the factory and migrated from Sonepat to Haryana in 2012. “If state government will take such harsh steps against the industry in Punjab, who will come to invest or even think of expanding,” Satinder said. He was drawing ₹51,000 monthly. Repeated attempts to contact the factory management or owner remained to get clarity on workers’ future remained futile.

 

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After a marathon meeting with the administration on Thursday, Sanjha Morcha, and Zira, once again reiterated that they will continue their protest till all their demands are met. Gurmail Singh, sarpanch of village Mansurwal and member Sanjha Morcha, demanded that the government should make public the official notification of the closure of the factory besides accepting all their demands. “We demand cancellation of all police cases, due compensation for protesters who died, return of revenue record of lands presented in the high court, facilitation of canal water for irrigation as the crop was damaged due to polluted water, legal action against the owner of the factory and its management, compensation to liquor factory workers, setting up a hospital on the land of the factory and sealing of all bank accounts of the factory,” said Gurmail Singh.