Udupi: Employees protest against ISPRL over non-payment of salary

Inchara Udupi
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (EP)

Udupi, Oct 29: The employees under Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) at Padoor here staged a protest against the management on Tuesday, October 29 after their requests for payment for salary, Deepavali holiday and bonus failed to get any response from the officials.

They alleged that employees of HCC, SKE & C and Lindal companies which have got contracts for construction of Padoor crude oil storage unit, a project managed by ISPRL, have not been paid salaries on time.

When the employees discussed the matter with P Veerabhandra Rao, deputy general manager of ISPRL, regarding salary, bonus and leave, Rao is reported to have told them not to ask him such matters and that he would pay them when he receives the money from the head office.

More than two thousand employees of HCC, SKE&C and Lindal companies gathered in front of the administrative office and shouted slogans against Veerabhandra Rao.

JD(S) district president Deviprasad Shetty, former Kuthyaru gram panchayat president Nithyananda Shetty and others came forward to speak to the local officials of ISPRL on behalf of the employees. The officials who had a discussion with the people's representatives and the representatives of employees promised to speak to their higher officials and pay the salaries by the end of the day.

It is alleged that ISPRL has not been following the guidelines of the deputy commissioner that up to 60% of the jobs should be reserved for the local people. The employees have threatened to protest against the ISPRL by locking their offices if their demands are not met as promised.