Another employee of defunct Hindustan Paper Mill died which takes the death tally to 90 including 4 suicides.
The employee, Satish Chandra Patowary, 58, who was suffering from cardiac ailments died of a heart attack at Jagiroad, president of Joint Action Committee of Recognised Unions (JACRU) of both Nagaon and Cachar Mills Manabendra Chakraborty told PTI.
The employee had not received treatment for the last 54 months, Chakraborty alleged.
“So far 90 employees of the two paper mills of HPC have died since the government stopped their operations. Four employees of the company have committed suicide. This is the 5th death after the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led new government came to power in Assam,” said Manabendra Chakraborty.
According to reports, over 1,200 employees from the two paper mills are yet to be paid their remaining monetary dues which include pensions, salaries, provident funds and others.
The two 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 shut since October 2015 and March 2017 respectively.
Though the BJP government had promised to revive the two paper mills in 2016 when they came into power, promises remained promises only.
Recently, on June 1, advertisements were issued seeking buds for the E-auction of the company. The bids which were kept at Rs. 1,139 crores at first, later it was reduced to 969 crores as no bidders had shown interest in buying the two paper mills.
