People's Democracy

      Jute Order: Surjeet Writes To CEC            

Following is the text of the letter written by Harkishan Singh Surjeet, General Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist) to the Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishnamurthy on April 24, 2004 regarding the orders issued by Ministry of Textiles, Government of India on April 16, 2004 diluting the reservation percentage for compulsory use of jute bags for packing foodgrains from 100 per cent to 60 per cent and for sugar from 90 per cent to 50 per cent.

WE express our serious concern over the Order No. SO 506 (E) dated 16.4.2004 issued by Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, drastically reducing the reservation percentage for compulsory use of jute bags for packing foodgrains from 100 per cent to 60 per cent and for packing sugar from 90 per cent to 50 per cent. Packing in jute bags was mandated through Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory use in Packing Commodities) Act 1987 and the reduction of the same through this Order would hit hard the jute industry employing 2.5 lakh workers and 40 lakh jute growers, mostly in West Bengal and Bihar.

On the other hand, this Order would bring huge business benefits to non-jute packaging industry, engaged in the production of synthetic material, which has been lobbying hard for long time with government/political parties for such a favour. We strongly feel that such an executive Order promising financial bonanza in terms of enhanced packaging order to a particular industrial lobby at a time when the election process is in full swing, is flagrant violation of Model Code of Conduct by the party in power at the Centre.

We would, therefore, request you to kindly intervene and ask government of India to withdraw the above Order immediately.