West Bengal: Workers Struggle to Keep Durgapur Projects Ltd Afloat

Affected by the management’s ‘arbitrary’ activities for almost a decade, workers are still striving to keep alive Durgapur Projects Limited (DPL), a prominent landmark in Durgapur and a public sector enterprise under the West Bengal government. A frequent question being asked is: Are the DPL authorities compensating the workers for their efforts?

As time passes, there are complaints that the “anti-worker” behaviour of the DPL management is increasing. A large section of DPL workers allege that the management is acting under the direction of the Trinamool Congress-led state government. Their complaint is that through the “inhumane treatment” of workers and reluctance to modernise realistically, six units of the power plant and DPL’s most profitable coke oven plant have been tactically shut down.

Equipment from the closed power plants and coke oven have been sold at low rates, and the strategic selling of its valuable land assets threatens to turn the glorious tradition and pride of Durgapur from the public sector to private entrepreneurs, the workers allege. Is the state government moving in that direction? The workers said they were living in fear. Nine workers have lost their lives due to this mental anguish.

In this tumultuous situation, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)-affiliated Durgapur Projects Employees Union continues its struggle to sustain the plants and protect workers' rights. Despite “repression” by management in various ways, they have not retreated from this movement.

History of Durgapur Projects Limited

DPL is the first undertaking of the West Bengal government. It is located adjacent to the Durgapur Railway Station, 158 kilometres west of the state capital, Kolkata, in the Paschim Bardhaman district. DPL was formed as a government company and incorporated on September 6, 1961, comprising coke oven batteries, by-products plants, a gas grid project, a thermal power plant, and water works. It took over assets and liabilities from the Durgapur Industries Board and operates under the administrative control of the Department of Power, West Bengal government.

The primary objective of DPL was to promote the development of various large, medium, and small-scale industries in and around Durgapur and other locations within the state. It is often referred to as an "Industry for Industries."

Following the establishment of DPL, several public sector industries, such as Alloy Steel Plant, Mines and Allied Machinery Corporation (MAMC), Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation (HFC), Jessop and Company Limited, Burn Standard, Bharat Ophthalmic Glass Limited (BOGL), and numerous private enterprises, small and medium industries, were set up in Durgapur.

"DPL used to supply electricity to all these industrial establishments in Durgapur, including Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP). Additionally, DPL provided electricity to domestic and commercial consumers within its command area of 125 square kilometres in Durgapur," Naren Sikdar, a former DPL worker, told this reporter.

Initially, two power plants were built gradually. During the tenure of the Left Front government, units 6 and 7 were constructed. The old power units were refurbished in the 1990s to keep them functional. The Left Front government proposed the creation of new units 8 and 9, and the necessary arrangements, including funding, were prepared for these two new units. Currently, the TMC-led government has established unit number 8.

The most attractive and profitable component of DPL was the coke oven plant, which received nationwide appreciation. After burning raw coal, coke was produced here, an essential material for steel plants, and supplied all over the country, including to the adjoining Durgapur Steel Plant. The grid gas from this plant was distributed to different parts of the state. As by-products of the coke oven plant, tar and naphthalene were produced. “DPL workers were often paid their monthly salaries from the income generated by the coke oven plant,” said Sikdar.

Water was brought from the Damodar River to the waterworks centre in the plant. After supplying the necessary water to the power plants and coke oven, it was purified for drinking and supplied to the quarters of DPL employees.

Dismantled and dilapidated quarters of DPL staff.

Between 1999 and 2004, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government adopted a policy of closing down public sector enterprises. As a result, many public sectors in Durgapur, such as MAMC, HFC, Burn Standard and BOGL, were shut down, leading to a significant reduction in the demand for electricity. Despite this situation, the thermal plant units were not stopped. The Left Front government undertook several modernisation measures to keep these units operational. "The then state government was steadily working toward the purpose for which DPL was created," said Rabindra Nath Mandal, a retired DPL officer.

The Present Condition of DPL

“As the demand for electricity sharply declined and the capacity of production in the old units gradually decreased, the Left Front government decided to take realistic steps incrementally. However, after the Trinamool Congress-led government came to power (in 2011), instead of renovation, the DPL authorities decided to close down the old power units. Units 1-6 were closed in stages. Not only were they closed, they were also dismantled, and their equipment sold,” Ramaprasad Mukherjee, secretary of the Durgapur Projects Employees Union, told this writer. He noted that since 2011, the DPL management has been taking “destructive” steps one after another.

The coke oven, one of the pride units of DPL, today looks like a ghostly pile of rubble. In the name of cooling down, the coke oven unit was shut down on June 3, 2015. No explanation has been given by the DPL authorities or by the government as to why the plant was shut down. Although DPL is an autonomous body, with the Principal Secretary of the Power Department of Bengal as its ex-officio chairman, and DPL’s Managing Director and Finance Director as government nominees on its board, the importance of DPL’s management has declined rapidly. Several workers alleged that these actions were taken under direction from the state government.

The Closed Coke Oven plant of DPL

A large section of workers alleges that this public sector unit was strategically closed to favour the coke oven plant in Haldia, owned by a close relative of an important minister in the first TMC government, adding that equipment from the plant and six dismantled power plants were sold.

According to sources, DPL received Rs 200 crore by selling these items, which is much less than the market price. Workers, however, question what the DPL management had done for the improvement of DPL with this money.

In 2019, workers from the coke oven unit were sent on deputation under the control of the District Magistrate of Purba Bardhaman. It is alleged that they were not paid for their work there. After a few months, they were brought back.

Meanwhile, on January 1, 2019, a proposal was made to bring DPL under the West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL). Following the state government's proposal, a survey was conducted to identify surplus staff at DPL. Notably, earlier when the coke oven was closed, workers there became surplus. After the survey, DPL reported that 332 workers were surplus. In an order dated December 22, 2022, these surplus workers were directed to be transferred elsewhere. To carry out this order, workers were sent to Bankura, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, and Birbhum in state government food and other departments.

Additionally, several employees were transferred to West Bengal State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (WBSETCL) and West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL). The workers were unfamiliar with these roles. According to the service rules of DPL, they were deprived of the privileges they were supposed to receive as DPL workers. They continue to suffer from mental anguish due to extreme job uncertainty. Nine workers, including Gangadhar Gope, died while working under these stressful conditions, said Mukherjee.

 The DPL Employees Union organised an agitation tos ave the plant and protect workers right.

The fact is that DPL has not yet moved into WBPDCL (West Bengal Power Development Corporation). However, DPL is now only involved in power generation, while transmission and distribution are handled by West Bengal State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (WBSETCL) and West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL). Previously, DPL managed all these functions.

Under the Left Front government, there were 5,000 workers in DPL. Now, the number has dwindled to only 1,200, including workers transferred from other departments. No new workers have been recruited in a decade. Those who remain are risking their lives to generate electricity in the power plants and maintain the water works sector.

Currently, there are two power plants, units 7 and 8, which generate approximately 450 megawatts of electricity per day. Workers also expressed concerns about workplace safety. Several workers told this writer that the mill rejection belt of unit number 8 had not been replaced in three years. As a result, the boiler wall could get damaged, reducing its lifespan and potentially halting production any time.

Most workers complain about the inadequate treatment facilities at the DPL hospital. They allege that there are only four doctors in the hospital. Previously, according to staff ratios, there were 40 doctors, several nurses, and paramedical staff. The hospital had an indoor and fully equipped operation theatre, providing even complex surgical procedures. Now, the hospital has been reduced to a mere first aid centre that refers patients elsewhere. Nurses are assigned to office work, and health workers have been transferred to the food department for clerical jobs!

Moreover, if treatment is done elsewhere and not reported within seven days, DPL hospital employees do not receive reimbursement for medical expenses. Employees were also not receiving their pension and gratuity on time, said a retired worker, Sheikh Rofauddin.

The DPL quarters have been vacated after a large number of staff retired and were transferred elsewhere. People of Durgapur allege that during the Durgapur Corporation election in 2017, TMC activists placed outsiders in these vacant quarters in exchange for money. Additionally, many quarters in the B zone area of DPL have either been demolished or are in a state of disrepair, with management showing little concern.

DPL land in B zone area to be put on sale.

Workers also said that the state government aims to identify many places in the B zone area for sale. In 2018, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that DPL land would be sold. Following this announcement, the West Bengal Financial Corporation and Asansol Development Authority were given swathes of land for only Re 1. It is alleged that this very valuable land is being sold to corporate houses at very low prices through these two government undertakings.

Regarding the present situation of DPL, Mukherjee said to protect the public sector and workers' rights, employees were continuously protesting against the anti-worker steps taken by the management. Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh leader Arkoprobho Ray said that a “circle of corruption” had developed around DPL. He claimed that the present government wanted to close down this public sector enterprise, but the workers were striving hard to keep it alive.

INTTUC (affiliated to TMC) leader Alokemoy Ghorui, however, claimed that the current condition of DPL was good. DPL's Public Relations Officer Swagota Mitra said that electricity had been generated in two units for 100 consecutive days without any problems. She also recognised that the workers had accomplished this feat by taking significant risks.

The writer covers the Jangalmahal region for ‘Ganashakti’ newspaper in West Bengal.

(All pictures taken by Madhu Sudan Chatterjee)