Members of Assam Tea Tribes Students Association (ATTSA) on Thursday staged a dharna in front of the deputy commissioner’s office here against the proposed privatisation of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL).
ATTSA’s Golaghat unit president Jagdish Boraik said, “The BJP-led central government has promised it will improve the economy and eradicate poverty and unemployment by setting up of more public sector enterprises but unfortunately it has gone back on its pledge by proposing to sell out almost all major PSUs, including BPCL and NRL.”
“The privatisation of NRL will slow down economic growth and create unemployment as well as other socio-economic problems. We will never allow any private company to exploit the natural resources of the state,” he added.
It also submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through deputy commissioner Dhiren Hazarika.
On the other hand, Numaligarh Refinery Employees’ Union on Wednesday wrote to Assam Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami seeking an assembly resolution against the Centre’s bid to disinvest NRL.
The union said privatising NRL would have been logical had it been a loss-making entity.
It also urged the state government to strive for merging NRL with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd by letting it take over the BPCL’s 61.65% stake in the refinery.
