Ropar, August 28
The curtains finally came down on Punjab National Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd. (PNFC) plant at Nangal after 16 years of its commissioning with the court authorities sealing its properties today.

The liquidators appointed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court today confiscated the entire record and property of the PNFC and locked out the plant, putting to an end the jobs of at least 500 employees.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on the recommendation of the BIFR had ordered the liquidation of the PNFC on July 27. The liquidator appointed by the court had earlier, sealed the head office of the PNFC at Chandigarh on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the impasse between employees of the PNFC and the PSIDC (owner of PNFC) continued today with the workers initially declining to release the detained Senior Accounts Officer. Workers of the PNFC had yesterday detained the Senior Accounts Officer of the PSIDC, Mr Manjit Singh, who was here to dispose of the furniture of the head office at the plant.

The employees were protesting as they apprehended that the PSIDC would not pay their dues after the lockout. The PNFC plant had stopped production in 1998. However, due to the uncertainty regarding their status after the closure, the employees kept coming to the plant marking their attendance till yesterday.

Now when the plant was sealed by the court authorities, the employees had not been issued any termination notice by the management of PSIDC. The employees have the apprehension that they would not be paid dues for the period, after the closure of the plant.

The detained official was released today evening after he gave in writing to the employees that the PSIDC would give the dues of the employees till yesterday and he would help them on the issue.