No foolproof security, Nalco workers live in fear

Fear still grips more than 400 odd permanent employees working at the Navaratna public sector National Aluminium Company (Nalco)?s bauxite mining facility at Koraput district of Orissa where Naxalites attacked the facility on April 12, killing 10 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel.

The workers are fearing for their lives as a foolproof security fortification around the mining and refining areas are yet to be carried out despite earlier reports of possibilities of Naxalites attacks.

As per the estimates, Nalco which had a turnover of Rs 5,474 crore during 2007-08, needs to spend around Rs 4 crore for fortification of refining facility and there is also need to build proper bunkers and facilities for the CISF personnel for securing the sites.

The workers have stopped going to mining facility due to fear of more Naxalites attacks and the company officials have been discussing the security arrangements with the workers. Workers moral has been shaken by the fact that Naxals numbering about 100 could so easily gain access to mining areas despite the presence of CISF. Koraput district more than 350 km away from here with large forest cover is close to Naxal affected areas bodering Andhra Pradesh.

Since the attacks, the work at the mining facility at the Nalco?s Panchapatmali mines, which has the world?s fifth largest bauxite deposits estimated to be 310 million tone, has come to a halt.

However a company official told FE on Monday that Nalco has a month?s reserve of bauxite to keep its smelter working. As the security forces have control of the mines and there was no disruption in the production of aluminium and alumina, the Nalco official said.

The workers are apprehensive that Naxals blew up parts of the 16 km long road connecting the mines and the alumina refinery located located downhill at Damanjodi. ?There is abosolutely no fortification of the route through which bauxite is transfered to alumina refinery,? a senior Nalco official said on the condition of anonimity.

The workers on Monday met senior officials of the company to sort out security related issues while Nalco?s chairman and managing director CR Pradhan along with mining ministry official met the home officials in Delhi to formulate the strategy to beef up the security facility at the mining sites.

?It is quite natural that the workers are shocked,? a Nalco spokesperson said. However he said that after security measures are taken the workers would resume the work soon.

?We need to completely review our security system as Naxal attacks posses new threat to our security system,? the official said.

The target was to loot the explosives stored in the Nalco?s wear-houses which is usually used for mining operations.

However, due to stiff resistance from CISF personnel, Naxals could not take away any explosives. There is demand gaining ground that the explosives wear-housese should be shifted to safer place.

The Naxalites took more than 55 Nalco staff into hostage for about 12 hours before releasing them. The security personnel have seized five vehicles, including the explosive-laden one, abandoned by the Naxalites. The security forces including the state armed forces are still combing the areas in case of any presence of naxalites as a dense forest surrounds the mining areas.

The Nalco mines produce around 15,000 tonne bauxite daily, which is then processed in the Nalco?s alumina refinery in Damanjodi. The bauxite is taken through 14.6 km long single-flight cable belt conveyor system to alumina refinery.

The company has its smelter plant at Angul, Orissa which is about 400 km away from Damanjodi. The company requires about 4.8 million tonne of bauxite to run its facility annually. Nalco has about7,400 employees.