Hailakandi, June 29, The Joint Action Committee of Recognised Unions (JACRU) again demanded the revival of two defunct paper mills of Assam for saving the lives of the workers by remitting legal dues. In a memorandum to the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma on Monday, the President of JACRU, Nagaon and Cachar Paper Mills, Manobendra Chakraborty sought his immediate intervention and said, 'the paper industries would be saved before the same are sold out to any third party and we obliged to represent our side with all facts & figures to resolve the crisis with WIN-WIN situation".
Chakraborty said, "we have already submitted a preliminary details on Assets and Machineries of both Cachar and Nagaon Paper Mills of Assam and we desire to reaffirms that major machinery like paper machines and its ancillaries, digesters, turbo generators, chippers are in good conditions and others plants may be taken for function after renovation, overhauling, replacement etc while we assure that the industries may resume production under quality management within a period of maximum six months and a monumental history will be written on Industrial Revolution of Assam if revived".
Asia's biggest paper mills - Cachar Paper Mill at Panchgram in Hailakandi district and Nagaon Paper Mill at Jagiroad in Morigaon district - both units of Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited - have been in non-functional condition since October, 2015 and March, 2017 respectively. Their employees have not got their salaries for the past many months respectively. The government has finally decided to sell both the mills. 91 employees have already died without treatment for the financial crisis. 4 of them committed suicide.
Chakraborty said that they have mainly highlighted three points, to save paper mills from sale and government should take over the industries, release of all legal dues of workers includes VRS as applied as per settled provisions of Department of Public Enterprises guideline of the Government of India and ensure employments of workers as per Order of national Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).
The memo said that the "Advantage Assam" did not yield satisfactory results and resuming the production of papers at both the defunct Paper Mills may fulfil the objective of "Atmanirvar Bharat" and Industrially Growth Assam may come into reality. The State would gain industrial development, employment generation, boosting of rural economy based on bamboo cultivation, harvesting and through supply of various raw materials if the mills are revived, it added. The import of papers from China, Indonesia and Bangladesh may be arrested to save foreign currency reserves being drained on import expenses after the closure of production of papers in these two units of Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited. . "We can confidently say around Rs 260.88 crore revenue collections may be gained per annum and payback period would be less than ten years having intact the entire Assets in own custody", memo said.
