Silchar: The Hindustan Paper Corporation (HPC) Paper Mills Revival Action Committee will stage road blockades in south Assam's Barak Valley on September 26, demanding payment of the pending salaries of the workers of Ca-char Paper Mill and Nagaon Paper Mill and revival of both the industrial enterprises.
Cachar Paper Mill, the only major industrial undertaking in south Assam's Barak Valley, is situated at Panchgram in Hailakandi district, around 24km from here, while Nagaon Paper Mill is at Jagiroad in Morigaon district, around 332km from here.
Manabendra Chakraborty, the chief convener of the committee and president of the Cachar Paper Project Workers' Union, told reporters at a news conference here on Tuesday that they would block National Highway 37 and National Highway 6 in Barak Valley from 9am to 2pm on September 26 to voice their demand on clearing the workers' pending salaries and revive the mills at the earliest.
He said though the mills' workers, who are yet to get salaries for around 18-19 months, had been suffering because of extreme financial crunch, the government has done absolutely nothing to resolve the crisis.
Chakraborty also took a jibe at the government, alleging that the government is deliberately silent over the matter to extend benefits to private/corporate companies.
"The government, by keeping the mills closed, has created an artificial crisis of paper in the market and private companies in this business are making huge profits by taking the advantage of the crisis. A section of influential political leaders is involved in this."
The committee will stage a rail blockade and hold other protests in the coming days, till the demands are fulfilled, he added.
Sanjeev Roy, one of the conveners of the committee, urged the legislators of the Barak Valley to raise the issue in the Assembly and apprise the chief minister about the plight of the workers and their families so that the matter is addressed properly and resolved at the earliest.
He threatened largescale protests in the future if the pending salaries are not paid and the mills are made functional soon. Committee members Azizul Mazumder, Baharul Islam Barbhuiya, Azir Uddin and Dipak Chandra Nath were also present.
