Death toll at 98, Another HPC Employee Died without Proper Treatment

Another employee of Hindustan Paper Corporation in Panchgram demised today in Silchar. The death toll now stands at 98. Two Government-owned paper mills of Hindustan Paper Corporation (HPC) – one in Hailkandi District and another in Morigaon District – in Assam with almost 1200 employees have been shut down since 2015 and 2017 respectively. It’s been 59 months since the employees of HPC drew their last salary.

Mahi Uddin Laskar (63) – a former employee of Panchgram Paper mill succumbed
today at his residence in Sonai. He was suffering from Kidney ailments. Like many other of his fellow colleagues in the dead HPC mills, Laskar too had the same fate, as he could not arrange proper treatment for him. “Laskar failed to afford desired treatment for his ailments due to the financial constraints and the nonpayment of our due salary,” Manabendra Chakraborty, the president of the union of HPC employees, wrote in his Facebook post.

“He didn’t even get any retirement benefits even after serving the corporation for decades,” the post reads. “Death toll raised to 98 including four suicides and this is the 13th death since the new government under Dr. Himanta Bishwa Sarma formed,” the post further reads.

The Joint Action Committee of Recognized Unions (JACRU) president has also accused the Government of not delivering natural justice. In September 2021, the unions of HPC employees and the Assam Government held a meeting where the Assam Government agreed to disburse a relief package of 570 Crore for the employees of HPC. But the process of rehabilitation has not started yet.