Assam: One More Paper Mill Employee Dies, Toll Reaches 106

Another employee of a defunct paper mill, earlier owned by Hindustan Paper Corporation (HPC), in Assam's Cachar district died due to various ailments after failing to pay for his treatment, its union informed on Wednesday.

The deceased has been identified as Gopal Chandra Bhar, a resident of Panchgram in Hailakandi district. He was 57.

Its union, the Joint Action Committee of Recognized Unions (JACRU), said that Gopal was suffering from kidney related disease, Tuberculosis and other serious complications but failed to afford desired treatment due to financial crisis owing to non-payment of salary since last 64 months.

Gopal was found unconscious on Monday morning and was taken to a nearby Hospital but was dead on arrival, JACRU informed.

With his death, the death toll of the paper mill employees has reached 106 including four suicides. While the Cachar unit stopped functioning in October 2015, the Nagaon mill in Jagiroad became defunct in March 2017.

Although the Assam government had agreed to a relief package of Rs 375 crore for the rescue of the workers, funds have not been released yet, JACRU said.

It further informed that as many as 21 employees have died since the formation of the new government led by Himanta Biswa Sarma, however, nothing was done for them.

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