Another Cachar paper mill employee dies, toll reaches 131 amid govt inaction

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaFebruary 6, 2025

The ongoing crisis at Assam’s defunct paper mills has claimed yet another life, raising the death toll of former employees to 131. Phani Bhusan Barman (58), a resident of Dhalai and an employee of Cachar Paper Mill, succumbed to prolonged illness on January 31 at 6:45 AM, leaving behind his wife and four children with no source of income.

According to Manobendra Chakravorty, president of the Joint Action Committee of Recognised Unions (JACRU), Barman’s passing is the fifth sudden and premature death among mill employees in just five months. “The two paper mills have turned into a valley of death, akin to a holocaust, due to the inhuman and hostile approach of the Central government,” Chakravorty said, condemning the prolonged neglect.

The Cachar Paper Mill (shut since March 2015) and Nagaon Paper Mill (shut since October 2017) remain in limbo, leaving hundreds of employees in distress. Despite government promises, workers have not received salaries for the past 90 months, leading to extreme financial hardships, stress, and deteriorating health conditions.

Although the Assam government acquired the defunct mills in March 2022, efforts to revive them have stalled. The bidding process for the Cachar Paper Mill, initiated in late 2022, failed to attract any investors, leaving the mill’s future uncertain. Meanwhile, Tata Group is constructing a ₹27,000 crore semiconductor plant at the Jagiroad Paper Mill site, but similar development at the Cachar site remains unfulfilled. Adding to the woes, the state government’s promised ₹20 crore welfare corpus fund for mill employees remains unimplemented, further exacerbating their financial struggles.

With over 1,550 acres of mill land lying unused, the failure to utilize these resources for worker rehabilitation or industry revival has intensified criticism. Families of deceased employees continue to suffer, and despite government assurances, no concrete steps have been taken to provide relief or compensation.

Chakravorty warned that if the situation persists, more deaths will follow, calling for immediate intervention to resolve the crisis and uphold the dignity of the affected workers.