JACRU reminds PM of 5-year-old promise to revive defunct Assam mills

GUWAHATI:

The Joint Action Committee of Recognised Unions (JACRU) of Nagaon and Cachar paper mills in Assam has reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment five years back to revive the non-functional mills.

The Prime Minister is visiting Karimganj in Barak Valley to address a poll rally on Thursday afternoon.

In a statement to the media, JACRU president Manobendra Chakraborty said, “On behalf of JACRU, I have requested the Prime Minister to recall his commitment made on March 27, 2016, on the revival of HPCL paper mills of Assam.”

The Cachar Paper Mill at Panchgram in Hailakandi district and Nagaon Paper Mill at Jagiroad in Morigaon are units of Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited (HPCL) and have been non-functional since October 2015 and March 2017, respectively.

“As many as 83 workers killed, four of them by suicide, because of non-payment of salary since the past 50 months… before he reaches Assam, he should realise that workers are being killed,” Chakraborty said.

“If the PM does not desire to save lives, let him allow mercy killing for the rest of the workers to save them from government-imposed inhuman torture,” he said.

“Respected citizens will judge what the PM announces for Barak Valley, as two lakh youths have been rendered unemployed, which is the major issue now,” the JACRU president added.

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