MC 1067/2009 BEFORE HON’BLE MR JUSTICE K. SREEDHAR RAO HON’BLE MR JUSTICE P. K. SAIKIA Sreedhar Rao, J. Heard Sri M Mahanta, learned counsel for the petitioner and Sri KN Choud hury, learned Additional Advocate-General, Assam. The above bunch of cases, some of which are writ appeals have been filed against the order of the learned single-Judge directing absorption of the respo ndents into the service and payment of both current and arrears of salaries. The contempt petitions are filed for violation of the order of the learned single-J udge. In these cases the respondents are all working in different agricultural farming corporations. The said corporations were in the red for some time and t hey were closed. Respondents had filed a writ petition ~ WP(C) 3470/2004. The learned sin gle-Judge in para 25 of his judgment-and-order in the said writ petition has mad e the following observations: Before parting with the case records, I feel it to be my duty to remind the Govt. about its duty and obligation for the welfare of the employees of the Corporation, number of which according to the report submitted by the aforesaid one man committee is only 15 to 20. The said report has clearly indicated the s ufferings of the employees of the Corporation. The matter requires humane approa ch. As per the report, a few of the employees have already died in distress, one got mad and others are suffering physically and mentally for utter distress of their families in terms of food, child education etc. The report clearly indicat es that the Govt. cannot ignore their plight and accordingly recommended for acc ommodating the remaining staff (15 to 20) in the Agriculture Department as was d one on earlier occasions. It is in this regard, a humane approach to the matter as emphasized by the Apex Court in the aforesaid case of Kaplla Hingorani(supra) is called for. If need be, some of the luxuries provided to the persons at the helm of affairs which needless to say are unnecessary and a poor State like Assa m cannot afford to be dispensed with. After all those luxuries cannot be at the cost of starvation and death of the employees of the Corporation. Some of the respondents who are affected by the closure had filed WP(C) 4502/2006 and other batch of cases. In the said writ petition, this Court has al lowed those writ petitions on similar lines of the order in WP(C) 3470/2004. The Director of Agriculture has written a letter (dated 24.1.2014) to th e Standing Counsel, Agriculture Department, the contents of which are as follows : With reference to the subject cited above, I have to inform you that as per Govt. sanction order No. AGA.430/2004/Pt.I/664, dtd. 16/07/2013 part paymen t for an amount of Rs 50(L) has already been released to the employees of Agril. Farming Corporations(AGCs). Moreover, regarding revival of AFCs in the state a Detail Project Report (DPR) prepared by AAU, Jorhat has been sent to Govt. which is under process at G ovt. level. This is for your information and necessary action . The learned Additional Advocate-General submits that the government is seized of the matter and the process for working out a revival plan of the corporations i s on and that a substantial amount of compensation to the tune of Rs 50 lakh has already been paid and the balance amount would be paid in due course and the re vival of the farming corporations would be done at the earliest and the responde nts would be taken back to duty. Keeping in view the submissions made at the bar and the facts and materials on r ecord, it is directed that the respondent government shall revive the agricultur al farming corporations within six months and pay both current and arrear salari es within the six months. Accordingly the writ appeals, contempt petitions and t he miscellaneous applications are disposed of. Respondents are, however, at liberty to revive the contempt petitions if the ord er is not complied within the time-frame fixed.