Guwahati, Oct 20: Another tragic death has been reported at the Cachar Paper Mill, now under the Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), raising the total number of deceased employees from the two paper mills (Cachar and Nagaon) to 130.
The latest victim, Maram Uddin Choudhury, aged 58, passed away due to a sudden cardiac arrest on his way to the hospital. Choudhury was a resident of Jankibazar, located in the Aglapur assembly constituency.
Manobendra Chakravorty, president of the Joint Action Committee of Recognised Unions (JACRU) for Nagaon and Cachar Paper Mill, expressed his sorrow over the loss, stating, “Our beloved colleague lost the battle of life and departed to his heavenly abode today at around 8:30 am.”
The situation has become increasingly dire, as Choudhury’s death marks the fourth sudden and premature death among mill employees between September 7 and October 20. Others include Sanibor Bangthai of Nagaon Paper Mill, who died of cardiac arrest on September 7, Satyabrata Bhattacharjee of Cachar Paper Mill, who passed away due to a cerebral stroke on September 17, and Achyot Saikia of Nagaon Paper Mill, who died on October 17.
The deaths have highlighted the ongoing crisis and the deep impact on employees, many of whom have been without pay and facing hardship as a result of the mills’ prolonged shutdown.
Chakravorty expressed deep frustration over the continued neglect faced by the workers of the two mills and said, “Every worker in the two paper mills is enduring unbearable suffering, stress, trauma, and has lost all hope of living life with human dignity while the government has not paid any attention to releasing their salaries for the past 90 months.”
Although the Assam government announced humanitarian aid for the employees in June 2022, no further actions have been taken to ensure their survival. The Nagaon Paper Mill in Jagiroad has been non-operational since October 2017, and the Cachar Paper Mill in Panchgram has been shut down since March 2015. Both mills are now under liquidation proceedings due to non-payment of dues to financial and operational creditors.
Combined, the mills occupy over 1,550 acres of land, but despite this vast resource, the future of the workers remains uncertain.
The continued closure of the mills has resulted in severe hardships for employees, many of whom have been deprived of their salaries for years. The tragic deaths of several workers in recent months have highlighted the grave impact of the prolonged shutdown, with many facing extreme stress and health issues as a result of the ongoing crisis.
On March 28, 2022, after prolonged negotiations, the Assam government took over the assets of the two non-operational paper mills of Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited (HPCL), located in Jagiroad, Morigaon district, and Panchgram, Hailakandi district. The state aimed to revive these mills, but progress has been slow.
On November 16, 2022, the government, through the Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), issued an expression of interest and invited bidders for a 30-year lease of the Cachar Paper Mill’s machinery, land, and township. Additionally, the Nagaon Paper Mill’s machinery and plant were offered for sale on an “as is where is” basis, excluding the land.
However, despite these efforts, the bidding process, which ran from November 2022 to January 2023, did not yield any response for the Cachar Paper Mill.
Meanwhile, Tata Group is constructing a semiconductor facility worth Rs 27,000 crore on 300 acres of land at the Jagiroad Paper Mill site, according to Chakravorty. However, he expressed concern over the lack of clarity regarding the state’s investment in this project. He also mentioned that despite campaign promises by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to establish a similar industry at the Cachar Paper Mill site, no significant action has been observed.
Chakravorty also highlighted that the state government has yet to establish the Rs 20 crore welfare corpus fund for the mill employees, which was promised two years ago. This delay, along with the ongoing hardships of the employees, has further deepened the crisis.
