S.P.Talukdar, J. - (1.) The writ petitioners claiming to have authority to espouse the causes of the employees of Basumati Corporation Limited, being respondent No.4 herein, filed the instant application under Article 226 of the Constitution.
(2.) Government of West Bengal took over the management of Basumati Corporation Ltd. under the provision of the West Bengal Act of 1974 making a statute thereof under the name of the Basumati Pvt. Ltd. (Acquisition of Undertaking) Act, 1974. Basumati Corporation Ltd. becoming a Government of West Bengal Undertaking, the employees thereof are entitled to get facility whatever has been enacted in 1955 Act for the non-journalist employees of the newspaper. Basumati has an excellent track record in the field of newspapers, which, however, could not be appreciated by the Government of West Bengal in its proper perspective. Unfortunately, whereas private newspaper groups are forging ahead, the State Government did not take any initiative for nurturing this newspaper 'Basumati'. This was largely due to non-application of mind on the part of the management as engaged by the Government of West Bengal. In view of such indifferent attitude on the part of the State Government, the employees of the Basumati are deprived of all the reasonable benefits which the newspaper employees, both journalists and non-journalists, are entitled to get.
(3.) Anxiety and agony of the employees of the Basumati Corporation Ltd. have not received the care and attention, the same deserved. The recommendation of the Manisana Wages Commission has already been implemented in all newspapers in India except for the employees of Basumati. It is alleged that the State Government is no more interested to keep the Basumati as one of its undertakings and is interested to put the unit in the hand of private promoter. Such employees of the Basumati are receiving interim relief of the wage i.e. 20% Basic and Rs. 100/- for quite sometime. But the State Government is trying not to implement the recommendation of the wage commission fully. The State Government, thus, seems to be determined to deny the persons being represented by the writ petitioners their legitimate claim. The claim of the writ petitioners is confined to the demand for implementation of the recommendation of the Statutory Wage Board of the Manisana Committee. The employees so represented by the writ petitioners are also aggrieved by the Government decision to transfer the unit in favour of private promoter. For non-implementation of the recommendation of the Manisana Commission, the large number of employees have been put into serious inconvenience. Right to life and livelihood being a right of fundamental importance, the same cannot be taken away by whims and caprice of any authority.;