Guwahati: An employee at a defunct paper factory in Assam’s Cachar district, previously owned by Hindustan Paper Corporation (HPC), died of disease after failing to pay for treatment, his union reported on Wednesday.
With his death, the total number of workers killed at the paper mill has risen to 103. The Cachar unit ceased operations in October 2015, and the Nagaon mill in Jagiroad ceased operations in March 2017.
Rajendra Kumar, an Odisha native, died on Monday at the age of 58, according to the Joint Action Committee of Recognised Union (JACRU) of Nagaon and Cachar Paper Mills.
He had kidney problems but couldn’t afford treatment due to a financial difficulty caused by non-payment of his salary, according to the report.
According to the JACRU, this is the 18th death since the Himanta Biswa Sarma government took power in May of last year.
It may be mentioned that the Assam government stated on March 28 that it had purchased HPC’s two defunct paper mills for Rs 375 crore. The Assam government has agreed to an assistance package for the employees’ rescue, but money have yet to be given, according to JACRU. Since January and March of 2017, the employees of the Cachar and Nagaon plants have not been paid.