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- Protestors ratchet up their agitation for employment and disrupt travel to the ESL plant
- ESL Steel has provided 779 employments in FY 2023-24 out of which 117 are to land losers or raiyats
- ESL Steel has provided 317 employments to local residents after the agreement on 28th November 2023 post agitation
Bokaro: A group of 65 to 70 villagers, claiming to be raiyats seeking job opportunities at ESL Steel Limited, caused disruptions and harassment to employees on Friday near Alkusa More. The villagers, who say they have not been employed despite selling their land, blocked access to the plant for around 300 employees for over two and a half hours, resulting in inconvenience and delays.
These protests are part of a pattern where villagers resort to strong-arm tactics or blockades to demand jobs from ESL Steel Limited, citing agreements related to land sales. While the company is not legally bound to fulfill these demands, it has made efforts to accommodate such cases out of goodwill.
ESL Steel Limited, a Vedanta Group Company, has been committed to community development and has provided employment to many local residents, including land losers. However, it is noted that some villagers may not be genuine in their demands, and ESL Steel Limited is open to amicable discussions to resolve any misunderstandings.
In the fiscal year 2023-24, ESL Steel Limited provided 779 employments through various business partners, including 117 to land losers. Additionally, 317 employments were provided to local residents after the agreement on 28th November, post-agitation.
The company has also been communicating with villagers through grievance committees to address their concerns.
Despite these efforts, recent protests have taken a more aggressive turn, with villagers resorting to threats and spreading fake news. ESL Steel Limited emphasizes the need for peaceful dialogue and urges villagers to engage constructively to resolve any issues.
Very recently we had similar unwarranted protests that had turned violent and as a consequence more than 100 people were physically injured – and district administration personnel. But this time apart from expectations of such agitations turning violent; the villagers have started floating fake news laced with threats to ESL Steel Management.
Furthermore, ESL has been communicating and sharing updates with the local raiyats and villagers who submitted their grievances through the grievance committee. Since ESL Steel has limited production capacity – it does not have huge employability opportunities, and this is the reason ESL takes the help of business partners for sharing employment opportunities with the raiyats and in limited numbers at a time.