The Kudremukh Mazdoor Sangh, affiliated to the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, staged a day-long dharna in front of KIOCL Limited plant at Panambur in the city on Saturday, seeking a merger of the company with the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) Ltd.It also urged the State government to allow KIOCL Limited to undertake captive mining activities at Devadari, Sandur, in Ballari district.Its other demands included filling vacant posts in KIOCL Limited, promoting employees in a systematic and time-bound manner, releasing ad hoc payments to employees until the final wage revision, stopping “illegal” transfers of employees to other states in violation of the company’s standing orders, repatriating employees transferred outside Karnataka and releasing all eligible benefits and allowances to transferred employees.It may be mentioned here that Mangaluru City North MLA Y. Bharat Shetty has written to Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy seeking the merger of KIOCL Ltd. with NMDC Ltd.In his May 25, 2026, letter to the minister, Dr. Shetty said: “...KIOCL Limited has a glorious legacy but is currently facing severe operational distress. Merging KIOCL Limited with a stable, resource-rich central PSU like NMDC Ltd. will secure the company’s future, safeguard the livelihoods of its dedicated workforce and optimise national mining resources...”The MLA said the operations of KIOCL Limited have been completely disrupted because the Karnataka government has not granted final mining permission for the Devadari iron ore project. He said the prolonged standstill has pushed employees and their families into immense financial uncertainty. Published - July 25, 2026 06:11 pm IST