Assam: Another Paper Mill Employee Dies, Toll Rises to 111

Another employee of Cachar Paper Mill, a closed industry under the Hindustan Paper Corporation (HPC) died on Thursday midnight. The employee identified as Rajib Deb was a resident of Station Road in Tarapur area of Silchar. The employee died at around 1 am at Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) at the age of 56 years.

President of Joint Action Committee of Recognized Unions (JACRU), Manabendra Chakraborty informed that the deceased person was suffering from neuro diseases and also suffered cerebral stroke and he was under treatment at the SMCH.

"With such a severe ailment, Deb failed to afford desired treatment in time due to financial crisis owing to non-payment of salary for the past 72 months by Government of India and finally he died," Chakraborty alleged.

"The death toll of our colleagues has risen to 111 now including four instances of committed suicides. We feel that the onus of all such deaths rests on the Government of India and the former Chief Minister of Assam respectively who failed to resolve the crisis in time. The workers of the two paper mills under HPC, those of whom are alive, are passing days with unbearable suffering, stress, trauma and lost all hope to live life with human dignity as the Government of India is yet to remit our salaries lying pending since the last 72 months now. Fortunately, in a recent move, the State Government headed by Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma came forward with a relief package and started disbursement of the Relief Package which includes a portion of our salaries from the Government of Assam to save lives. We echo our demand that the Central Government must remit the complete dues at the earliest," the JACRU president claimed.

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