Port Blair, Dec. 23: The Vanvikas Employees Association, VanVikas Officers Association and Forest & Plantation Development Corporation Employees Union in a joint meeting held at Gandhi Bhavan on 22nd December have recorded their full faith in the leadership of Kuldeep Rai Sharma, President, INTUC and accepted as their helmsman, said a communication from the Secretary to the President PCC today.

The communication further said that Haja Moideen, Assistant Engineer (C) from Officers Association, Lally Baby, General Secretary, VVEA and Shukat Ali from Workers side have stated the pathetic conditions of the employees and workers of the Corporation and told that, for not getting full salary and wages,  it has become a tuff job to walk on the road due to over burden of loan taken by them to maintain their distressed family members.

They have also recorded that the employees are suffering for no fault of them in AN Islands, when the Lt Governor of AN Islands is also one of its share holders and hoped that he will also come forward to safeguard them in their days of distress from starvation and frustration.

The Secretary to President PCC explained that all of them have requested to the local Congress Supremo to influence Smti Sonia Gandhi, the Chairperson UPA Government to come forward to help them in their days of heartache. They have also told that in case the problems of the Corporation is not sorted out before election, then, their problems may again be considered from the beginning and thus, there will be no end of it and the employees will die of frustration.

All the employees who were present in the meeting have requested to get immediate release of balance 5.50 crores loan assistance so that they can get their salaries and pay off their debts and lead a life of prestige.

Shri Kuldeep Rai Sharma on the occasion stated that after his taking over the issues of Forest Corporation he has achieved 80% of success and rest 20% he will bring soon to the Corporation employees.

He has also assured to contact the Home Minister so that the loan assistance is released early. In the meeting the Forest and Plantation Development Corporation Employees union affiliated to the INTUC was reconstituted and the union unanimously elected Kuldeep Rai Sharma as President, Smti Viyay Lakhsmi and Shoukat Ali as Vice Presidents, KP Aboobakar (GS, INTUC) as General Secretary, Maheshwar Rao as Jt Secretary, Smt Paromita Bhattacharya & M Subramaniam (Katchal) as Organising Secretaries, Harikrishna, Samba Murthy, Teknath Sharma, S Krishna Rao, Smti M Sini and Smti Kamalawati as executive members.

Deepak kr Saroj has been elected as treasurer. Apart from these, two members, one from North Andaman Project and other from Hutbay projects will also be included as organizing secretaries. Shri MZ Siddiqui, General Secretary of INTUC was also present in the meeting.