Paradip, Oct. 7: Work at the Essar steel project here resumed today with the district administration brokering out peace between workers and security personnel, who clashed last Friday.

The labourers, peeved over the damage caused to their rest sheds near the company's conveyor belt, were locked in a pitched battle with the security staff members.

The clash left 20 persons injured. The civil and police administrations have begun a joint probe into the clash.

The plant construction, which is nearing completion for trial production, was disrupted since the clash with the workers staying away from work protesting against “use of brute force on innocent people”.

“The administration acted as a mediating agency to end the deadlock. The points of differences were thrashed out and a consensus was reached out last evening. As a result, the construction resumed today,” additional district magistrate Surajit Das told The Telegraph.

The workers alleged that the company had engaged “private army” at the construction site while hiring musclemen from outside the state. Masquerading as security personnel, they had pounced on the unarmed labourers unprovoked. Later, the labourers retaliated.

“The labourers had resorted to ceasework to protest against deployment of hired goons. They demand arrest of these offenders to create an amiable atmosphere at the plant site,” said president of the Essar Steel Contractual Labour Union Tofan Swain. Vice-president of the Essar Steel Construction Workers’ Union Pramod Kumar Jena echoed Swain.

However, a company official denied the allegation of engaging the goons.

Director of the Paradip Essar steel project Pradipta Kumar Gupta said: “We are a labour-friendly company. The company is intent on safeguarding the interest of labourers. The charge that the company had deployed hired criminals in the security set-up is false and baseless.”

“We are probing into the workers’ allegations,” said Das.

Paradip sub-divisional police officer Bhabani Shankar Mishra said: “We are cross-checking antecedents of the security staff members deployed at the plant. We have asked the company to submit details on the security mechanism and staff.”