ADDA has at last agreed to grant the lease agreement of the MAMC quarters to the occupants.

Amidst the endless sorrow and anguish of the residents MAMC Township the only pleasurable news is that, they will not be evicted from their residential quarters   where they are passed the golden parts of their life since decades. They are relieving their sigh of relief after a long and relentless struggle as Asansol Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA) has decided to grant the ownership of the quarters to the employees on 999 years of lease agreement. The people in all are happy to the extent for such a permanent solution of their abode.  

MAMC Township Residential Welfare Association’s Secretary Ashim Chattopadhyay says, “ADDA has already started to mail their confirmation in phase wise manner to the residents of this township. From the year 2005 January to 2010 December they will be charged a rent of Re. 1/- per sq.ft. They will have to pay 15% of that amount now. But those people have been exempted to pay such arrear right now whose dues like Gratuity, PF and others are still to be settled from the liquidator and their arrear rent will be adjusted from that amount.”

From the year 2003 ADDA has taken over the charges of maintenance and supervision of these Quarters of MAMC and from that year the employees are negotiating with the authority to make the lease agreement for their residential quarters but for many quibble and pretext this vital issue remain suspended for final decision. “Now we are happy and counting our days for the re-opening of our Plant so that tension to maintain our both end would be relieved atleast.”- say the senior jobless employees of the Plant.

The Company which was set up nearly three decades ago, did well in the initial years mainly due to domestic consumption of underground mining equipment. However the situation gradually became worsen for MAMC with restricted investment of CIL on modernization and expansion of its underground mines. Since May 2003 after an order by the Calcutta High Court all the assets of MAMC are under the custody of an Official liquidator appointed by the Calcutta High Court.

Up to late eighties the Mining and Allied Machinery Corporation (MAMC) was a worthwhile industry in Durgapur. Thousands of people used to maintain their livelihood from this Industry. They had a large well decorated township, huge number of residential accommodation, School, Park, Swimming Pool and what not. It started its journey from the year 1965. But unfortunately due to lack of demand of the heavy mining equipment it became a sick industry and gone under BFR from 1992 and ultimately closed on 5th October 2001. Huge number of employees lost their job and became hopeless. Some became insane; some took other means to relieve themselves from mental agony due to their debt up to neck for maintaining their livelihood. All the residential quarters are now in a dilapidated condition. Schools, Parks and the whole colony are looking shabby. Business people are somehow pulling on and the others are contriving with great difficulties.

After a long struggle to reopen this large industry in the Ministry level a joint venture consortium of the Public Sector undertakings like Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), Coal India Limited (CIL) and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) aspired to reopen the industry and to product the equipment required for mining machinery. But after signing the MOU among the three companies on 11th June 2010 no development has yet been noted for its happy journey.

The employees who have least little hope of getting their job are counting their days for the opening of their company by the joint venture consortium and at the same time many unemployed youths are eagerly waiting to get chances of employment here. 

Kanchan Kumar Chatterjee. (with Pic).