General manager of the mill Mahabubul Alam on Thursday ordered 650 permanent workers and 200 employees to vacate their houses.

State owned Peoples Jute Mill, laid off on April 19, was finally closed down on July 19 and all the 3400 workers and employees were terminated on ground financial crisis.

Some of the workers and employees told this correspondent yesterday that they have no alternative to stay in the lanour colony till they get all their arrears. They said they have no money to shift elsewhere.

General Manager of the mill told this correspondent that they have no right to live in mill quarters free of cost as the mill has been finally closed.

He refused to make any comment when asked if force would be applied to vacate the houses.

Zonal Coordinator of Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) Shamim Ahmed said that 14,000 more workers and employees of seven other state-owned jute mills in Khulna-Jessore industrial belt are likely to be terminated.

He said all the mills are heavily burdened with bank loans. Operation of the mills and payment of arrears need a huge amount of fund from government.

Shamim Ahmed said severe financial crisis, frequent power outage and loss of markets at home and abroad are the main reasons for closure of the mills with accumulated losses.