Paper mill employees boycott panchayat polls

Special Correspondent

Silchar: As decided earlier by the Paper Mill Revival Action Committee, the employees refrained from casting their votes in the panchayat polls not only in the polling booth of the plant but at different centres.

This has been done to record their deep resentment against the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises for not taking any positive steps for the reopening of the mill, laying shut down from the month of October, 2015. Santosh Chakraborty, an employee of the mill, said they have not been receiving their salary for the last two years. This has pushed the families of the employees to extreme financial constraints, telling heavily on their physical and mental health.

Chakraborty added to say the education of their children, medical care and the minimum basic need for sustenance have come at a standstill. They are at a loss to understand how to find a way out of this crisis unless the Centre responds to their cry. The Paper Mill Revival Action Committee has mobilized public support to block rail line, roads and highways as well as called Barak bandh to highlight their pathetic condition. Despite all this, there has been no response from the government, he rued. The Committee, he pointed out, submitted series of memoranda to the Prime Minister, Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, and the Chief Minister of Assam. All this has not stirred the authorities concerned.

Santosh Chakraborty took the opportunity to share the information that Rs.90 crore was released by the Centre for payment of their salary. Till date, they have not received it. This is also the fate of the employees of Nagaon paper mill. Coming back to the issue of poll boycott as yet another way to record their anger and anguish, Chakraborty pointed out around 1 lakh votes of the employees engaged in direct and indirect employment have not exercised their franchise in the panchayat polls. They will stand by this commitment in the ensuing Parliamentary elections also, he said. It is to be recalled that Paper Mill Revival Action Committee has given call for ‘no salary, no vote’ just on the eve of the rural polls.

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