: Special Correspondent
SILCHAR, Jan 1: After being in good shape, Cachar Paper Mill at Panchgram which is situated at a distance of 30 kms from here, is again in trouble mainly due to gross mismanagement and scarcity of raw materials. According to the Joint Trade Union Action Committee, the crisis in the mill has been caused by no other factor than the overlooking of the basic management and resultant cropping up of related problems. The Committee has squarely blamed Chief Executive Mohan Jha who led the management officials.
The crisis instead of being tackled intelligently and deftly is being allowed to aggravate, adversely affecting production and intermittent closure of the mill. The Committee headed by Lalit Raj and Manvendra Chakraborty which has been agitating since Monday against the shut down has been vociferous in demanding the removal of Jha and other management officials.
In order to hammer their demands and to highlight the present crisis of the mill, the Action Committee has drawn up phase-wise agitation programme which include hunger strike, demonstration and sit-in-protest. Lalit Raj briefed the media persons about the latest position and cautioned if remedial measures were not taken immediately, it would turn for the worse, leading to complete shut down of the mill.
The Action Committee saw behind this mismanagement, a subtle move for privatization of the mill. It is to be recalled that during the NDA regime, preparations were afoot for disinvestment of the Cachar project which however failed to materialize due to protests from employees and their Unions. Lalit Raj said behind this privatization move was the direct complicity of the Chief Executive Officer. He warned that such a step would never be allowed to succeed.
The Union leader pointed out that for the last one year the production has been badly affected, causing heavy financial loss. According to a rough calculation, there has been an accumulated loss of Rs 50 crore. Quite puzzling, as he said, is the silence of the central minister, Sontosh Mohan Dev, state ministers, Dinesh Prasad Goala and Gautom Roy.
Besides blaming the management, the Action Committee has also expressed its displeasure at fund utilization for modernization of the mill. Not long ago, Rs 250 crore was provided by the centre for this purpose. The scarcity of bamboo as has been projected by the management for the present stalemate is a lame excuse, Lalit Raj stated. He failed to appreciate the scarcity factor as abundant bamboos are available in Barak Valley, North Cachar Hills and Tripura.
He rued at the fact that the Action Committee has time and again drawn the attention of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises as well as the State Government to the problems of the mill, but no positive action has been initiated. He said there is still time to rejuvenate the only industry of Barak Valley. source: sentinel assam
