JAIPUR, DEC 2: Shut downs and lock outs of in industrial sector is beginning to have serious implications, having fallout beyond the direct impact on employment and economy in Rajasthan.

The most glaring has been the effect of closing down of eight units of JK Synthetics in Kota and Jhalawar in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan during the last one year, three being shut down in September.

Nearly five thousand became jobless overnight. Thousands more followed, as the hundreds of smaller ancillary units catering to JK Synthetics became redundant and started cutting on their costs and staff, many of them shutting down completely.

The social impact was tragic. The colony housing JK Synthetics employees has become lifeless and the shops around closed down for lack of business. The colony's school has stopped functioning, leaving students and teachers in the lurch.

One of the employees' daughter committed suicide as she had to discontinue studies when her father became unemployed.

One of the JK staff, Girdhar Singh, forced to give up residence in Kota because of inability to make ends meet and find a job, said that many of the older employees in their 40s and 50s were rejected by other companies as ``too old.'' Always a problem in this country, jobs have become scarcer nowdays in any case.

While the girl's suicide could be labelled an exception and a rare case, the trauma is being felt by many. Girdhar Singh's wife has developed psychological problem, a feeling of persecution that some unknown force is against her family. She does not eat; she cannot sleep.

The economic fallout threatens to be equally serious. With the shut downs, over Rs.3 crore which came into Kota from JK Synthetics employees has stopped, and so has the octroi and sales tax from the products of these concerns. Kota is now deprived of an amount of money which by any account was huge for the city.

That the units were closed down despite availability of all basic facilities is something curious. Kota is located close to Delhi, has excellent rail and road connection, assured water and power supply and is called the Kanpur of Rajasthan.

Unions say the units shutting down was the consequence of distortions brought about by liberalisation where profit motive reigns supreme and industrialists close one unit to open another which gives more profit.

Secretary for Industries NS Sisodia, does not dispute this, saying it could be a possible reason but then, he adds, no one can dispute this right of the industrialist. He, however, said it was family dispute between the Singhanias which led to the crisis.

Some among the workers' unions and some economic observers held the immediate cause was financial and bank loan liabilities which the Singhanias were unable to meet. Desperate workers have, since November 29, started a sit-in at the local residence of the newly elected State Bharatiya Janata Party president Raghuvit Singh Kaushal.

The problem is not confined to JK Synthetics or Kota. The old and reputed Mewar Mills in Bhilwara has closed down. So has Parasrampuria mill in Alwar and Aditya Mill in Kishangarh. Secretary of CITU State unit, Ravindra Shukla said about 36,000 units, including at least 15 large scale units, had closed down in Rajasthan.

The workers are blaming every political party here for letting them down as none took up their cause. As for the BJP Government's attitude, Shukla said nothing exemplified it better than its decision to invoke Essential Services Maintenace Act to curb workers' agitation in Autopal, a unit engaged in making electric bulbs!

Cutting across the political spectrum, workers' unions allied with every political party have joined hands on the issue. Shukla said a State level convention of the five unions, including BMS, would be held here on December 7 to take up various issues concerning the workers.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.