On Tuesday, the workers of the gems processing unit of Gitanjali Gems staged a protest at a park in Ravirayala village of Maheswaram Mandal in the outskirts of Hyderabad. The workers said the management informed them the gold, diamonds and precious stones were seized by the authorities on Friday. The shutting down of the unit badly affected around 600 families including 200 physically challenged. The protestors sought immediate intervention from the Government of Telangana.
The Centre of Indian Unions (CITU) said alternative employment should be provided to protect the interests of the workers. The workers said the Andhra Pradesh (AP) Government handed over the land to the company on the condition they would provide employment to the locals. In 2005, the Congress allotted around 171 acres of land to Gitanjali Gems for setting up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ.)
Over the past few days, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided various properties owned by Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi. Last week, the CBI registered a fresh FIR against 10 directors of the Gitanjali group on charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating under the IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.
