Deadlock over Meta Strips, Co threatens to challenge closure order

Sandesh Prabhudesai
7 April 2000  

The ongoing Meta Strips controversy has suddenly plunged into a deadlock as chief minister Francisco Sardinha made volte face today stating that he did not arrive at any agreement with the agitators, except closure of the construction and production work at the factory.

While he claims that the company is opposed to making inventory of their machinery in the factory, the Meta Strips has threatened to challenge the closure order issued yesterday evening by the chief secretary, if it goes beyond a fortnight.

The Anti Meta Strips Citizens Action Committee, whose 15 activists have still not withdrawn their hunger strike after 12 days, is however still sitting firmly on making inventory of the machinery.

Justifying the objection raised by the company for the inventory of the machinery before it is closed down, Sardinha claimed the minutes of the agreement circulated yesterday by his office were wrongly drafted. The minutes stated that the government had agreed to inventory while the CM now says it was simply mentioned as one of their demand.

A V Parekh, president of the Meta Strips in the meanwhile has submitted a memorandum to the government that they have to keep at least 115 of their employees inside their factory even if the production and construction work is stopped, for the purpose of security, maintenance and administrative work.

"We agree with the closure in order to stop the ongoing agitation. The closure order otherwise is totally illegal and we intend to challenge it if the government closes it beyond 15 days", Parekh told journalists today.

"Let them go to the court. Our order is fully legal and it has been issued in larger public interest to arrest the law and order situation", says Sardinha. The order stated that the construction and production work at Meta Strips would be stopped forthwith until further orders, in larger public interest.

The order has come after the indefinite fast led to violent actions by the agitators in five villages of South Goa, demanding scrapping of the allegedly pollutant plant manufacturing brass strips and foils. The section 144 imposed in the state thereafter in the whole state is still not being lifted.

"We will not withdraw the hunger strike unless the factory is actually closed and the inventory takes place", reaffirms Nelson Fernandes, the AMCAC general secretary. They appeared to be getting impatient over the deadlock, warning that it would compel them to intensify their violent agitation.

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