Raiganj, May 12 -- Around 200 workers of a flour mill in Dalkhola of North Dinajpur district allegedly lost their jobs after the mill authority terminated local labourers and appointed workers from outside the state. The affected workers staged a protest in front of the mill on Tuesday morning, demanding reinstatement.
According to sources, the flour mill, situated in Ward No. 1 of Dalkhola Municipality, was established nearly forty years ago and has long been regarded as one of the major industries in the area. Hundreds of families from nearby villages have depended on the mill for their livelihood over the decades.
The sudden termination has left many workers and their families in distress. Protesters alleged that labourers from Bhagalpur and Patna in Bihar were appointed in place of local employees. Mahammad Jamaluddin, one of the workers, said: "Many labourers had spent the prime years of their lives working in the mill. Now we are facing severe financial difficulties. We are worried about the education of our children and have no alternative source of income".
The workers have launched an indefinite agitation demanding their jobs back. The mill authority was unavailable for comment on the matter.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.