SILCHAR, Sept 13 - The Joint Forum to Save the Cachar Paper Mill has decided to sit for a 48-hour hunger strike on September 20 at the Khudiram Bose point to echo their protest on the government �ill-will� to re-open the Cachar Paper Mill, a unit of the Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited.
The mill has been closed since September 2015 and already more than 11 employees of the mill have committed suicide.
�We strongly oppose the intention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to privatise the solitary institute of Barak Valley. The diverse views and opinions of both the governments have been perplexing doing no good to the employees and their families struggling to meet their ends. The pending salaries of the employees have to be remitted before Durga Puja,� said Suprio Bhattacharjee, a frontline member of the forum and Cachar district secretary of Centre for Indian Trade Union.
Bhattacharjee further said that in a unanimous decision, all the trade unions have decided to stage consecutive protests on November 9 to 11 in New Delhi and around 100 cadres will join from Barak Valley to drive home the demands. �We must stand united against the obstacles which have impeded the fight for the rights of the employees and make this a people�s movement,� Bhattacharjee maintained.
It is learnt that around 50,000 mt of bamboo worth Rs 25 crore (approximate amount) and 10,000 mt of coal along with SSP powder and a large stock of lime are lying rotten inside the closed mill.