Hailakandi, Nov 11: With the death of one more employee of defunct Cachar Paper Mill of Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited at Panchgram in Hailakandi district on Thursday, the death toll rises to 96 including 4 suicides. The leader of mill employees' union, Manobendra Chakraborty informed that Nripendra Chandra Dey died today at Silchar Medical College and Hospital due to bone related problems. He was 61. Chakraborty alleged that due to the non payment of salary for the last 58 months, the employees of both Cachar and Nagaon Paper Mill are facing extreme financial hardships and could not manage the cost of treatment.
It can be mentioned here that 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 non-functional since October, 2015 and March, 2017 respectively. Their employees have not received their salaries for the past many months. The government has finally decided to sell both the mills.
