An Intuc-affiliated trade union has urged the Centre to take steps to revive the Cachar Paper Mill, a unit of state-owned Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited (HPCL), at Panchgram in Cachar district.

Representatives of Cachar Paper Project Workers Union (CPPWU) on Thursday met Union minister for heavy industries and public enterprises Anant G Geete in New Delhi and submitted a detailed report on the present situation of the mill, wherein the union demanded Rs 1,000 crore for modernization of the mill and a grant of Rs 500 crore as working capital.

The union members, led by MPs Susmita Dev (Silchar) and Radhesyam Biswas (Karimganj), raised their voice for revival of the Cachar Paper Mill and requested the minister to take immediate action. The union also demanded BG railway connection inside the mill.

A CPPWU official said, "While all other paper manufacturing industries in India switched over to the latest technology and introduced modern machineries for producing high quality paper with low production cost, the HPCL units are reeling with old and outdated equipment, which are obsolete and are not even rapairable. The depreciation value of all machines is nearing zero. Therefore, the efficiency to achieve 100% capacity utilization of the units has become very difficult."

CPPWU president Manobendra Chakraborty said, "The heavy industries minister has assured that necessary action would be taken for achieving 100% production. The government will not keep any stone unturned to bring the mill back to its earlier glorious days."

Geete said he will visit the mill in January and also he will take up the problems with Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi. Industry sources said the mill has a capacity of producing 1,00,000 tonnes of paper annually.

 

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