‘Rs 2 cr temporary relief to MCCL staff not enough’

SHILLONG, June 27: Two elected representatives of Sohra and Shella on Monday urged Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to increase the temporary relief of Rs 2 crore to be provided to the employees of Mawmluh Cherra Cement Limited (MCCL) on a quarterly basis, asserting that the sum was not enough.
KHADC CEM and Sohra MDC Titosstarwell Chyne along with Shella MLA Balajied Kupar Synrem met the CM to discuss the grievances and demands of the MCCL employees.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Chyne said they have conveyed the message to the CM that the MCCL Employees’ Association wants the state government to increase the promised financial assistance of Rs 2 crore to be released to the staff on a quarterly basis since the amount was not enough.
Chyne said he and the Shella MLA alerted the CM on the recent protests by the employees.
“As the elected representatives of the area, we are concerned about the problems faced by the MCCL employees from time to time. We have also submitted our suggestions highlighting the measures that need to be adopted to ensure that the employees does not suffer any further considering that the cement plant has stopped production for quite some time now,” Chyne said.
The Sohra MDC also informed that they raised the demand made by the employees for reintroduction of the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS).
Synrem said he and Chyne also sought clarification from the CM on the status of the expression of interest on the proposal to run MCCL on a public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
According to Synrem, the CM told them that the government will hold a meeting with two firms who have participated in the tender process on July 18 to discuss the proposed joint venture.
Meanwhile, MCCL Chairman Wailadmiki Shylla said the state government has decided to provide the financial assistance of Rs 2 crore per quarter to the employees as temporary relief.
“The financial assistance will continue until the state government is able to come up with a permanent settlement,” Shylla said.