more-in Civil society intervention is needed to conserve the century-old Comtrust Weaving Factory at Mananchira, which was taken over by the State government recently, Communist Party of India State secretary Kanam Rajendran has said. He was speaking here on Monday after presenting the G. Devarajan Memorial Award to trade union leader E.C. Satheesan in recognition of his efforts to protect the interests of Comtrust employees and conserve the factory. Mr. Rajendran said that the employees should be extra vigilant as mafia groups were waiting to cash in on the lapses on the part of trade unions. “The Comtrust land, situated in the heart of the city, has high real estate value. Real estate mafia had an eye on it, and the employees had to resort to an eventful agitation to protect it. The employees were attacked and the factory building destroyed in the course of the agitation,” Mr. Rajendran pointed out. He accused the bureaucracy of trying to scuttle the proposal for government takeover of the factory. Certain vested interests too played their part. The employees had to struggle a lot to make the President approve the Bill proposing the takeover, he added.

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