Assam: Another former worker of Cachar Paper Mill dies, toll at 111

Yet another employee of Cachar Paper Mill passed away on December 16, taking the toll of employees who have died since the state’s two paper mills stopped functioning to 111. 

''Our beloved colleague of Cachar  Paper Mill, Rajib Deb resident of Tarapur, Station Road, of Silchar, Constituency, Dist: Cachar, lost the Battle of life and departed to his heavenly abode on 16-12-2022 at around 1-AM at Silchar Medical College at only 56 years of Age,'' Ananda Bardoloi, General Secretary, Joint Action Committee of Recognised Unions (JACRU).

The general secretary said that Deb was suffering from Neuro Diseases followed by a cerebral stroke and was under treatment at Silchar Medical College and Hospital.
 
''Every living worker of HPC, Paper Mills of Assam with each passing day with unbearable suffering, stress, trauma and with all lost hope to live life with dignity while Government of India not paying salary since last 72 months,'' the statement quoted Bordoloi as saying.

''Fortunately, the Assam government came with a relief package and started disbursement of relief package includes a portion of salary from the GoA to save lives leadership Dr Himanta Biswa Sharma, it is pertinent to note that the irreparable damages already caused earlier, now resulting deaths one after another, thus the responsibilities of all such deaths rest on the Government of India and earlier CM of Assam respectively who failed to resolve the crisis on time,'' the statement added.
     
Notably, the two paper mills -- Cachar Paper Mill at Panchgram in Hailkandi district and Nagaon Paper Mill at Jagiroad in Morigaon district -- have been non-functional since October 2015 and March 2017 respectively.

As per reports, the employees have not received their salaries for the past 64 and 62 months.

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