The Nilgiris: Workers and their families have filed a petition with the district collector seeking the opening of a Sterling Biotech Factory near Ooty.
The Nilgiris: Workers and their families have filed a petition with the district collector seeking the opening of a Sterling Biotech Factory near Ooty.
Sterling Biotech, a private company, has been operating in the Sandy Nalla area near Ooty in the Nilgiris district for the past 40 years. More than 400 workers are employed here.
It produces gelatin, di-calcium phosphate fertilizer and edible jelly, which are used to make capsules used in the medical field.
The sewage leaving the factory for a long time was mixed with the Pykara Dam and used for drinking, causing various Healthcare problems to the public. As it turned out, people including Pykara and Masinagudi got many skin diseases. Despite the factory management claiming that they were only discharging purified water, the complaint against the factory continued.
As a result, the Pollution Control Board closed and sealed the factory in June 2018.
In this context, the workers, along with their families, petitioned District Collector Innocent Divya today on behalf of the Sterling Biotech Employees Union, demanding the immediate reopening of the factory, payment of the full amount in arrears and re-employment of the workers.
Moreover, the workers said they would engage in various phased struggles if no action was taken to reopen the factory immediately.
Sterling Biotech, a private company, has been operating in the Sandy Nalla area near Ooty in the Nilgiris district for the past 40 years. More than 400 workers are employed here.
It produces gelatin, di-calcium phosphate fertilizer and edible jelly, which are used to make capsules used in the medical field.
The sewage leaving the factory for a long time was mixed with the Pykara Dam and used for drinking, causing various Healthcare problems to the public. As it turned out, people including Pykara and Masinagudi got many skin diseases. Despite the factory management claiming that they were only discharging purified water, the complaint against the factory continued.
As a result, the Pollution Control Board closed and sealed the factory in June 2018.
In this context, the workers, along with their families, petitioned District Collector Innocent Divya today on behalf of the Sterling Biotech Employees Union, demanding the immediate reopening of the factory, payment of the full amount in arrears and re-employment of the workers.
Moreover, the workers said they would engage in various phased struggles if no action was taken to reopen the factory immediately.