Jajpur: Police escorted Mesco Steel CMD Rita Singh to Bhubaneswar on Wednesday night after the agitating workers of Maithan Ispat Ltd at Kalinganagar in Odisha’s Jajjpur district tried to detain her again.
Earlier in the day, police and the district administration had rescued her from a hotel after being detained for 24 hours.
Police later detained the workers at Kalinganagar police station.
Protesting against the police action, BJD MLA of Sukinda Priti Ranjan Ghadai, who had joined the workers at the dharna in the morning, said that the talks between the workers and the Mesco Steel CMD failed. “She did not promise to fulfil their demands to provide them with 10-month arrear salary and two-year bonus. Since the demands of the workers are legitimate, the agitation will continue,” he added.
Briefing the media in Bhubaneswar in the evening, president of Utkal Chambers of Commerce and Industry Ramesh Mahapatra said the state government should solve the issues of the Maithan Ispat workers through discussion.
“It is the responsibility of the state government and the police to rescue the industrialists from the agitating workers and at the same time, the companies should make sincere efforts to pay the arrear salary of the workers,” Mahapatra added.
