Kumari Selja Demands Relief Package For In-Despair Haryana Plywood Industry

Chandigarh, May 11 (TNA) Demanding immediate help to the plywood industry which is on the verge of closure, All India Congress Committee General Secretary and former Union Minister Kumari Selja has asked the Haryana government to talk to the central government and announce a relief package, so that employment of lakhs of people can be saved.

Kumari Selja said that these days the clouds of crisis are hovering over the plywood industry of Yamunanagar. A big relief package is needed to save it, but the BJP-JJP coalition government is not paying any heed towards it. The government should talk to the central government to keep the plywood industry alive and announce a relief package so that the employment of lakhs of people can be saved.

In a statement released to the media, the Congress leader said that the plywood industry of Yamunanagar used to hold a distinct place in North India, but due to the cheap wood and board coming from China via Nepal, the business is facing a crisis here. This is the reason why 127 plywood factories have stopped production so far. The former Union Minister said that the decreasing business can be gauged from the fact that the amount received as market fee has come down to Rs 4 crore, whereas earlier it was up to Rs 12 crore. There are about 400 plywood factories here, many of which have closed, and those that are operating are running at low capacity.

She further added that earlier the plywood factories of Yamuna Nagar used to get wood from UP, but now the UP government has opened licenses for plywood factories. Due to this, the arrival of wood in Haryana has reduced. There is no market fee on wood in UP and Bihar yet, due to which the industry gets cheap wood. The former Union Minister said that due to the closure of around 127 factories, an employment crisis has also arisen.

About 50 thousand workers have been directly affected by this. Whereas, the employment of several thousand people has been indirectly snatched away. That's why there is a dire need to revive the plywood industry and it cannot be possible without government cooperation.

Kumari Selja said that if the loss-making plywood industry shifts from Yamunanagar, it will prove to be a big economic loss for the people of this district. In one go, there can be a crisis of livelihood in front of lakhs of people. In such a situation, the BJP-JJP coalition government will have to come forward. The entire matter will have to be placed before the Central Government and the plywood industry will have to be saved from ruining.