145;It146;s a desperate situation146;

An old pride comes bubbling forth as Udhav Bhavalkar talks of the days when Patheja Forgings and Auto Parts Manufacturers Limited PFL was ...

An old pride comes bubbling forth as Udhav Bhavalkar talks of the days when Patheja Forgings and Auto Parts Manufacturers Limited PFL was the best in the business. It was known for its state-of-the-art machinery, automated systems and computer-aided R038;D.

8216;8216;Nobody knows the condition of costly machinery inside,8217;8217; says Bhavalkar, a union leader. But the rusted iron gates, empty sheds and vehicle stands, and crumbling machinery are a grim reminder of a business gone bust 8212; and of proprietors who simply did not share the pride of their workers.

In the fledgling industrial township of Waluj near Aurangabad, 250 km east of Pune, a lone security guard stands caretaker to the sprawling grounds. Somewhere outside these gates, the grim human tragedy plays itself out.

Close to 450 employees were rendered jobless overnight and left staring at an uncertain future when the Patheja Forgings and Auto Parts Manufacturers Limited PFL closed down over three years ago. Almost 70 of the workforce are migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Worst hit are the 280-odd permanent workers who were left searching for alternative jobs.

The only consolation they have is that they are not alone in their predicament. Employees of other Patheja plants 8212; Unit I of PFL at Bhosari and another two of the Patheja Brothers Forging and Stampings Limited PBL at Chakan near Pune and at Satara 8212; too find themselves in a similar situation ever since the group moved the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction BIFR for winding up business.

8216;8216;The management did not even deposit our provident fund and LIC contributions for eight months before closure. Even the workers8217; welfare society fund of Rs 7 lakh has not been returned,8217;8217; says Nagendra Prasad, who was a forger operator at the Waluj plant. Prasad is from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and now finds himself working at a small forging unit. They survive mostly on contract jobs, their monthly earnings, once Rs 5,000 and more, halved.

8216;8216;It is a desperate situation,8217;8217; says forger operator Vinod Chaudhari. 8216;8216;How can we look after our families with the meagre sums we earn doing odd jobs?8217;8217; His colleague Hari Narayan Yadav is among the few to have landed a contract job.

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Umesh Saha, a press operator, considers himself lucky if he get a Rs 50 daily wage job. His wife and kids live at his native village of Gaya in Bihar. He cannot think of going back to them penniless.