AASU plans fresh stir against OIL

The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) has threatened to launch an agitation against the public sector undertaking giant Oil India Limited (OIL) due to its alleged non-fulfillment of 27 year old agreement with the student body.

The registered office of OIL is situated in Duliajan in upper Assam. AASU has alleged that several clauses of the agreement, which it signed with the PSU giant in 1980; primarily for accelerating employment of local youths and local area development of Duliajan and adjoining areas, are yet to be fulfilled by OIL.

"Though OIL has been assuring us of fulfilling all our demands time and again, many are still lying pending.

Even few of the works which were undertaken have been abandoned halfway", said Anil Gogoi, president of Duliajan unit of AASU.

This year, in September, the AASU had submitted a memorandum to the OIL stating their demands.

But the OIL has allegedly failed to address any one of them, he added.

In a fresh ultimatum to the company, the student body has demanded immediate appointment of 505 unskilled labourers in vacant posts.

It has also asked the company to hand over exploration work to local private companies. As per the agreement OIL should appoint more unskilled labourers in the company.

AASU has also demanded that the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel should be immediately withdrawn and in its place, the OIL should train local youths as security men.

The student body has also asked OIL to send at least 40 per cent of the profit for the development of the oil production area.

The student body has further demanded that a supermarket should be immediately opened in the region, and the upper storey of the market complex should be allotted to educated unemployed youths.