Shut down of two paper mills ruined employees future
Kshitiz Kant
Not
for the responsibility, right now take cognisance of our and these government
enterprises for the election purpose please, Modi Ji!
Letter to the Prime Minister
Sir,
Our pay and dearness allowances were
being disbursed timely till July 2015, but the payment system later had gone
irregular. The outstanding salaries of last 3 months of year 2016 and
beginning months of year 2017 were paid in March 2018… and since last 2 years or
say since February 2017 no payment yet has been done so far; consequently our
families including the workers are facing tough economic crunch.
The
condition has so worsen that many of us are not in position to have proper
treatment of ourselves and our kin. The nuptial tied of many daughters has
broken and many of these have to sell their paternal lands. The study of our
sons and daughters has interrupted. We are indebted heavily after the
non-payment of home loans and other loans’ instalments. Many of us had to
encash our invested savings prematurely... even bearing the big deficit, which we had saved for the use of our post retirement.
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of our friends died unnaturally in the last 3 years for this tension and two
more committed suicides in the depression. We are facing many difficulties in our
daily life, which cannot be narrated here.
These
lines are the result of that representation which was sent by the employees to the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises government of India in
February this year.
Hindustan Paper Corporation is a Government
of India enterprises, and are situated at Assam. Navgaon Paper mill is in
Marigaon and Katchhar Paper mill is in Hailakandi and HPC’s head quarter is in Kolkata,
but HPC is appalling at the danger of this shut down like other government
corporations.
The
NPM and the CPM were established respectively in 1985 and 1988 when the ULFA,
an extremist organisation in Assam, was at its rise.
The
experts say that both mills, giving the employments to the local youth, had
played an important role to prevent them in turning into extremists.
According
to managing officer, 1500 employees have been working in the HPC Corporation,
whose conditions you would have been felt by the application sent.
These
employees, by their many representations, even already have louded their voice
on separate level, but they got nothing and are still idle.
The
2 lakh locals’ livelihood, whether by direct or by indirect, were added to
these mills correlative. Most of these were the chief bamboo producing
farmers for the preparing raw papers. The closure of these two mills as if has
sink the small businessmen. The Katchhar Mill traded daily business of about two crore Rupees
at local level, which have now stopped and the same is going on in Nagaon.
Who is responsible for the worsening
of HPC
The
locals and the most employees of HPC term the Modi government responsible for
the downfall of the company’s condition. Mr Manovendra Chakrvority, chief
convener of HPC employees Union, tells in detail about the difficulties that
the production began to decline in the year 2009, but the causes behind this
fall were the natural. Bakaul Chakrvority says, “The bamboo stems up flowers after every
50 years. It was the time when the bamboo’s crop had ruined fully. The
problem began after 2007, but the bamboo began to produce amply after 4 years
then like every chance.”
Chakrvority
added, ‘The supply began to restore, meanwhile the National Green Tribunal banned the
coal mining which was the main source of coal in Meghalaya. We had mere
bamboos, not coal; but at the beginning of 2015, even the coal crises had been
solved that the government without any notice closed the production of Katchhar
mill.”
Mr
Chakravority says, “ Katchhar Paper Mill is the profiteering enterprises what was
the reason of UPA government maintained its running, but after coming in power,
Modi government closed the production of Katchhar mill within one year of its
tenure and also closed its Navgaon mill in March 2017.”
Chkravority
all this action termed a big scam. he says, “Katchhar’s papers demand was so
high in the country that 6 to 8 month before it was booked in advance; but the
papers are imported from Korea and China after its closure. Our input materials
for which papers quality was 50 thousand rupees per tons, our nationalist
government is paying more than 1 lakh rupees per tons.
Showing
the paper scare crisis, the government is knowingly extracting money in
multiples from the people. The bad effects can be seen over the downtrodden and the middle class students’ study.
Pamela
Nandi, the senior employees who reports to the HPC management, agrees to the
Chakrvority’s statement. She says, “When Katchhar Mill was closed, the
available raw material storage was: 50 thousand metric tons bamboos; 15
thousand metric tons coal; 2 thousand metric tons lime and 2 thousand metric
tons soapstone powder – all which can produce more than 10 thousand metric tons
of papers, but the government closed the mill so hastily that not only is
beyond from our understanding, but also is creating doubt.”
Kamal
Kya Dey Purkayasth, the local MLA of Katchhar, share his outrage and says that
PM Modi before assembly poll in Assam had organised a rally near Katchhar mill
in 2016 where he had assured to reopen this mill shortly, but after 3 years
there is nothing to start here.
The congress MLA, Purkashthya, has raised
questions more than 10 times in Assam Assembly, but he alleges that the state
BJP government has also tightlipped on this issue like Union Government.
He
says expressing concern, “The mills were started not only for the profits, but
also for the socio-political points of view; but the closure of these mills,
the youth have begun to go toward into the world of crime.”
Mr Abanti Bora, former
office bearer of AGP, did not decline the statement of Purakasthya. According
to Bora, the most youth were anyway covertly attached to these mills, but they are facing
the crises of their livelihood now. If the problem is not taken seriously, the
area may face unrest which would be difficult to control.
Hemant
Kankati, president of Officers and Supervisor Association, says that the
outstanding payment of regular including non-regular employees is Rupees 500
crore. Kankati adds that the liabilities of company are Rs 2800 crore of
contractors including vendors besides the employees of the organisations.
He
says vendors have gone National Company Law Tribunal, but NCLT has not yet
redressed any solution in this matter after 270 days of maximum time period.
The conferred power of HPC board of directors have been stripped of meanwhile and the
auction of this company has been announced, but the company has reached in last
few years on the verge where none buyers courage to buy it.
Kankati
told that the Union Government announced to pay the salary of 90 crore to the
employees last year, and later citing the pendency of case in NCLT, it did not pay
the salary. The undisbursed allocated fund was surrendered to government on 31 March.
All
these development deeply disappointed to the employees who knocked later the
NHRC door in February and demanded the action against the Modi government.
NHRC
had served notice Chief Labour Commissioner to file reply in a written
statement by February 12, while the NHRC’s directive was not complied
contemptuously; then he has been summoned in person before the commission.
Other
employees of HPC, expressing their resentment, says that the image of nation
should not be tarnished so the matter was not much fuelled, but if the NHRC of
country looked fail to solve the matter, they will have to see ahead to the
UNHRC.
The
report says that the locals and the employees are in grudge for the closure of
these mills. These people and the employees-- all their resentment have turned
into a big agitation many times. It looks that the PM rallies are to be held
here in the wake of the upcoming parliamentary election in the area, even
though it is certain to be protested.
Not
only Assam, but also Mizoram, Meghalya and Trpura’s people were connected with
these mills, who are angered with the BJP now. Mere disappointment may result
here for the BJP’s hope in these North-East states in these conditions.
Katchhar
and Navgaon areas are in Silchar and
Karimganj parliamentary constituencies where the BJP was fail to capture these
seats while there was pro-BJP wave in the country and now the closure of mills
have arised a challenge here for the BJP. In case the BJP is failed here to
convince the voters, it should leave its hope for these two seats.
