Bhubaneswar: Industries doing business in Odisha are not hiring local youth despite government directive, alleged members, cutting across party line, in Odisha State Assembly on Wednesday.
The speaker, taking into consideration the concern of the House, directed the industries department to look into the matter.
During the Zero Hour of the Assembly, members of the ruling BJD and opposition BJP and the Congress alleged that the companies were ignoring the State government’s directive on employing local residents in 90 per cent of the unskilled jobs.
The State government, in a circular issued earlier, had asked all the industrial establishments to hire 90 per cent of their unskilled workforce from their vicinity.
Treasury bench members Kishore Mohanty (Brajrajnagar), Rohit Pujari (Rairakhole) and Braja Pradhan (Talcher) targeted Mahanadi Coalfield Limited (MCL) over non-compliance with the directive while BJP member Kusum Tete from Sundargarh hit out at the National Thermal Power Corporation over the issue.
Kishore Mohanty said a major law and order crisis may erupt in Jharsuguda district if the MCL continued ignoring the interests of the local people.
“Of the 2,373 candidates who qualified for jobs in the MCL on November 24, only 10 were from the State. Those who lost their lands to the MCL were also not hired,” he said.
Senior BJD member Amar Prasad Satpathy demanded a ruling from the chair on employment of locals by industries.
BJP members B C Sethi and Nauri Naik also alleged that the local labour and employment officers are denied entry into the MCL premises.
The MLAs alleged that the local people are ignored by the companies, including MCL, even though they bear the adverse impact of pollution and lose lands to the projects.
