GUWAHATI: The HPC (Hindustan Paper Corporation) Paper Mills Revival Action Committee has decided to go ahead with the agitation on Friday despite a request by the Cachar district administration not to stage any protest in view of the Prime Minister’s visit to Silchar on that day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a public meeting at Ramnagar in Silchar on January 4.
The committee had over the past few months been protesting against the alleged failure of the government to revive the Cachar and Nagaon paper mills besides non-payment of salaries to its workers/employees for the past 24 months.
“The agitation (on January 4) was declared vide our notice to the district magistrate on December 25, 2018 and it will remain unchanged unless and otherwise the issues are resolved properly prior to commencement of notified protest. However, our protest rally would be peaceful and democratic in all ways but any forceful intervention or provocation may warrant unwarranted situation for which the concerned authorities would be held solely responsible,” a statement by the committee said on Thursday.
Chief convenor of the committee, Manobendra Chakraborty said that none of its earlier representations were paid heed to by the government and hence there was no alternative but to protest.
“The Centre and the state government have miserably failed to protect the legitimate rights of the workers having with-held the salaries of the mill workers since the last 24 months. The revival package is pending with the Prime Minister’s Office for several months now. A sum of Rs 90crore passed by Parliament on the recommendations of the President as interim relief has been withheld,” Chakraborty said.
Production in Cachar Paper Mill at Panchgram has been suspended since October 20, 2015 while operations at Nagaon Paper Mill at Jagiroad came to a halt on March 13, 2017.
Over 3,000 people are directly employed with HPCL while over 2lakh workers are indirectly engaged in the two mills.
“Such irresponsible acts on the part of government have imposed serious inhuman torture on the workers. As many as 49 employees/workers of the two mills have so far died prematurely in harness,” he said.
