GORKHA, March 29: Locals have barred Gorakhkali Rubber Factory from taking its products in the market after the state-owned entity was found using substandard furnace oil in the production process.
Workers of the factory said jute pieces and sand particles have been found in the furnace oil used in the boiler of the factory. The furnace oil is used to boil water for curing tires. They said substandard furnace oil is being used in the boiler for the last two weeks.
“Use of substandard furnace oil is inflicting damage on the machinery. As the oil is greasy, we have to clean and repair the machine ever week,” a worker told Republica, requesting anonymity. “Earlier we used to clean the machinery once in every three months.”
He said the used of substandard furnace poses threat to workers life. “The machine gets jammed and may explode at any time,” he added.
Because of the substandard furnace oil, workers are forced to operate the boiler at 140 degree centigrade. Earlier, they used to operate the boiler at 100 degree centigrade.
“The consumption of oil has also increased,” the worker said.
According to workers, the machine, which consumed 5,000 liters of fuel to operate for 16 hours in the past, now consumes 7,000 liters. Also the machine has started emitting dark smokes.
The factory had imported 96,000 liters of furnace oil a few months back. According to the workers, the substandard oil is being used for the last two weeks. The factory still has 64,000 of substandard oil in stock.
Saying that the use of substandard oil was inflicting huge loss on the ailing factory, the Rubber Factory Protection Committee, a panel of local people, has barred the factory management from taking its products to the market. “The factory is on the verge of closure due to the activities of the incumbent management. We have decided to prohibit the factory from taking its products to the market to pile pressure on the management,” Jit Bahadur Bhatta, president of the committee, told Republica.
Meanwhile, the factory management has said it do not have any information about the use of substandard oil in the factory.
The factory established around 28 years ago has a negative net worth of Rs 351.46 million.
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