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The Embilipitiya paper factory which was closed for over three years has been given a new lease of life on the instructions of Industrial Development Minister Kumara Welgama.

Minister of Industrial Development Kumara Welgama inspects the factory accompanied by officials.

Factory workers, public organisations and politicians in the area had made various requests and organised protest campaigns to re-open the Embilipitiya Paper Factory in recent times.

After Minister Welgama was appointed Minister of Industrial Development he appointed a committee to find out and report on the possibility of re-opening the factory.

The committee comprised senior company officials, public and private sector executives with specialist knowledge in the paper field and retired officers of the sector. Once the committee submitted its proposals, the Minister directed the relevant officials to activate the company on a step-by-step basis.

Accordingly, as an initial step around 400 employees of the Embilipitiya Factory are employed to cut and pack the paper produced at the Valaichenai factory.

Minister Welgama recently visited the factory and had discussions with the company Chairman Sumithlal Mendis, its administration and fellow workers.

Chairman Mendis said that when the arrears to the Electricity Board are settled electricity could be obtained and the machines could be re-activated. When this is done the factory could get ready for the production process.

He also said that by eliminating unnecessary expenditure and waste they would be able to turn around the production of the company to a satisfactory level during the coming months.

Additional Secretary (Administration) of the Ministry of Industrial Development D.S. Edirisinghe said that on the directive of the Minister of Industrial Development Rs. 150 million has been allocated to resume production at the Embilipitiya and Valaichenai Paper mills. Rs. 100 million had been allocated for the Embilipitiya factory and Rs. 50 million for the Valaichenai factory, Edirisinghe said.

A ministry spokesman said that earlier they had to bear a monthly salary bill of Rs 5 million though the factory was closed but now as work is in progress we are not paying workers for idling and also the machines are not idle.

(SG)

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