Assam Paper Mill employee, unable to afford treatment, embraces death

NAGAON: Imran Ali Thakuria, an employee of the defunct Nagaon paper mill today passed away due to liver ailment today, taking the death toll skyrocketing to 83. According to a former colleague, Assam paper mill employee Ali "failed to afford desired timely treatment due to nonpayment of salary for the last 50 months."

 

Manobendra Chakraborty, President of umbrella organization Joint Action Committee of Recognized Unions, (JACRU) Nagaon and Cachar Paper Mills, Assam, held the Central and State governments culpable for Ali's tragic demise.

 

"Why the workers of paper mills of Assam are being mercilessly killed? Is it because the people of Assam voted for BJP in 2016 to hand over power to rule Assam after 70 years after being misguided with a pandora of lies delivered by Modi on the revival of HPC paper mills including rest 32 thousand closed industries of Assam?" he stated.

 

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"HPC -- a Government of India Organisation has turned to the valley of death under the active leadership of our prime minister and chief minister of Assam. We appeal to citizens kindly reject killer government, save lives," he further wrote in his strongly-worded statement.

 

To register their protest for the non-payment of salaries, 1,800 employees of two defunct paper mills in Assam have declared that they will not vote for the BJP since the party had failed to fulfil its promise made in the last election to reopen the two establishments.

 

Ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections, the BJP had promised to revive the Hindustan Paper Corporation-run Cachar Paper Mill in southern Assam's Hailakandi and the Nagaon Paper Mill in central Assam's Jagi Road. The first was shut in 2015, the second two years later.

 

However, despite coming to power, the BJP-led coalition government has so far failed to revive the defunct mills, leading to further distress for the employees who have fallen on hard times.