Hooghly Jute Mill to reopen after more than 2 years

KOLKATA: The Gondalpara Jute Mill in West Bengal's Hooghly district will reopen from November 1 after remaining closed for more than two years, with the workers describing it as a "gift of Maa Durga".

The jute mill had 5,000 workers and another 20,000 people were indirectly dependent upon it, when it closed down on May 26, 2018 on account of raw material, financial and labour issues.

At the tripartite meeting held on Wednesday in presence of West Bengal Labour minister Malay Ghatak, it was decided that the mill will reopen from November 1, jute mill sources said.

North Brook Jute Mill, another mill of the same group in the same district employing some 4000 workers also reopened two days back.

The workers of the Gondalpara Jute Mill termed the mill reopening from November 1 as a "blessing of Maa Durga".

"It is like the blessing of Maa Durga.

It would have been better if the mill had opened before Durga Puja but nevertheless it will be opening before Diwali," a middle-aged mill worker said.

"A major problem before the mill management was that they did not have land 'Parchi' in their name and that caused hurdles in accessing credit from the bank. But, under a scheme of 2017 the state government has assured to do so and the matter is currently under processing," mill sources said.

Meanwhile, BJP Hooghly MP, Locket Chatterjee had sought Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani's intervention in the matter.

In a letter to the minister, Chatterjee had highlighted that 25,000 people dependent on the mill were suffering due to the jute mill closure.

Mill sources said the Centre has assured of steady order flow to help the mill survive.