The number of Assam Paper Mills staff has risen to 105 after two more deaths.

Guwahati: The number of Assam Paper Mills staff has risen to 105 after two more deaths. The death toll of sick employees of two closed paper mills, formerly owned by Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited (HPCL) and now under the control of Assam government, has risen to 105.

Koliman Basumatary, 57, a sick employee of Nagun Paper Mill, died on Monday at his residence in Deoshal village of Jagirod under Morigaon district. Basumatary died of a heart attack around 4 pm on Monday. The sad news came a day after another sick employee of Catcher Paper Mill and a resident of Badarpur Ghat in Karimganj district, Hudhaif-ur-Rehman (54) died at a nursing home in Silchar on Sunday evening.

Basumatary died yesterday at his residence in Dewshal village after suffering a heart attack. As it is, he was suffering from serious heart ailments but due to non-payment of salary for the last 64 months due to financial crisis. Could not afford the treatment required, “said Manobendra Chakraborty, president of the Joint Action Committee of Recognized Unions (JACRU). Nagoon and Catcher Paper Mills said in a statement on Tuesday.
Catcher Paper Mill in Panchgram of Hailakandi District and Nagun Paper Mill in Jagiroad of Morigaon have been inactive since October 2015 and March 2017 respectively.

“Then with two deaths, the death toll of employees of both the mills now stands at 105, including four suicides. This is after the new government came to power in Assam in May last year. There is also the 20th death, ”said Chakraborty.