Bengal: Gondalpara Jute Mill to reopen on July 1

The suspension of work at Gondalpara Jute Mill in Hooghly district of West Bengal will be lifted on July 1, labour officials said on Monday.The decision was taken during a tripartite meeting between the state government, mill management and representatives of 11 trade unions.

The suspension of work at Gondalpara Jute Mill in Hooghly district of West Bengal will be lifted on July 1, labour officials said on Monday.

The decision was taken during a tripartite meeting between the state government, mill management and representatives of 11 trade unions. It was chaired by state Labour Minister Becharam Manna.

The jute mill at Chandannagar employs around 3,800 workers. It was shut since January 1 this year, with the management claiming shortage of raw jute as the main reason behind the suspension of work, the Labour Department officials said, adding production will commence after maintenance work.

The state government had earlier said that several thousand workers have been rendered jobless following the closure of a dozen jute mills because of raw jute crisis due to ''faulty'' policies of the Centre.

The administration is now trying to resolve the crisis by helping reopen the shut mills, the officials added.