CM Yeddyurappa promises to help PDF youth

CM Yeddyurappa promises to help PDF youth

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, April 30: Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa has assured the project displaced families (PDF) of Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) that the state government will support them in their fight for their rights.

Receiving a memorandum submitted by the PDF at Circuit House, the CM said that the government will pressurize MSEZ and other associated companies to provide jobs for the PDF youth as promised during the land acquisition process.

R. N. Shetty Kalavaru, a representative of the PDF, said that the CM instructed his staff to urge the officials to keep their promises at the earliest possible and to withdraw incentives to the companies if they fail to keep their promises. Mr. Kalavaru and four other PDF youth met the CM when he had arrived at Circuit House to lay the foundation stone for the new building. He was accompanied byMP Nalin Kumar Kateel and District-in-charge Minister J. Krishna Palemar.

Speaking about the failure of MSEZ, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), and ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals Limited (OMPL) to provide employment letters to eligible PDF youth as agreed at the meeting held on March 25, Mr. Kateel said that the companies had initially demanded 15 days and at the end of the period had demanded 15 more days and are now asking for some more time.

Mr. Palemar said that 1,063 of the 1,661 PDF youth have to be provided jobs. Around 598 families have received monetary compensation instead of jobs. Of the 1,063 families that need to be given jobs, only 93 have been employed so far. The MRPL, which was supposed to have employed 183 PDF youth, has employed only 86 and the OMPL, which was supposed to employ 302, has employed only 3. It is the responsibility of the MSEZ to employ all the other youth.