Unions announce stir to push for revival of two Assam paper mills

GUWAHATI:

Ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to Assam, the Joint Action Committee of Recognised Unions (JACRU) of two paper mills in Assam, in association with the HPC Paper Mills Revival Action Committee, announced their future course of action by demanding for the revival of the two ailing paper mills and the payment of pending dues to its employees.

They also stated that they would organise a candlelight procession in Silchar on January 25 as a mark of respect to the 80 employees of the two mills who died after the plants ceased operations.

On January 26, the groups will stage a sit-in demonstration (near Khudiram Statue) in demand for the revival of the mills and remittance of all the dues of the mills’ employees.

The Cachar Paper Mill at Panchgram in Hailakandi district and Nagaon Paper Mill at Jagiroad in Morigaon district - both units of Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited - stopped operations since October 2015 and March 2017, respectively.

Employees of the two mills have not received their salaries for the past 48 and 46 months. As many as 80 employees died due to the lack of medical treatment since the mills ceased to function. Of the deceased, four committed suicide.

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JACRU president and chief convener of HPC Paper Mills Revival Action Committee Manabendra Chakraborty, on Friday, reiterated that the government has, over the years, only made fake assurances of reviving the mills, but did nothing in reality.

“If the government does not fulfil our demands before the Assembly election, we will stage massive protests when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal visit Barak Valley to seek votes from the masses. We will also visit every house in the valley to narrate our woes to people and appeal to them not to support this ‘treacherous’ government,” he said.

Members and supporters of Jatiya Shramik Shakti, a sister organisation of the newly floated regional political party, Assam Jatiya Parishad, staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the Nagaon Paper Mill entrance at Jagiroad on Thursday demanding revival of the mill.

(Edited by Andre Kongri)

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