The state labour minister Becharam Manna came to Durgapur to attend a seminar but did not visit the houses of the accidental death case victim’s families who have irked the industrial labourers.

In February this year, three contract labourers were killed in a poisonous gas leak inside the Durgapur Steel Plant of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). The INTUC, CITU, INTTUC have fought together to seek compensation packages for the next of kin of the victim’s families.

“State labour minister Becharam Manna and chief inspector of factories, both have come to Durgapur few days ago to attend a safety seminar in which only corporate officials were present and nobody from the trade unions have been invited,” alleges a contractor worker of DSP, Rajesh Pal.

The labourers are annoyed with the growing incidents of fatal accidents and thought that the state labour minister will talk with the victim’s families and take up the issue with the plant management and take appropriate action steps. But he went away after attending the seminar and the labourers felt let down. Both the CITU and the INTUC are trying to seize on this opportunity of labour unhappiness against the labour minister before the upcoming Asansol lok sabha by polls.

A majority of voters of Asansol and Durgapur are directly or indirectly related to the heavy industrial units, public and private sector both. The ruling party and its trade union is so far tightlipped on this issue but is visibly uncomfortable before the upcoming 12 April by polls.