Assam Cabinet Authorises Plan To Build Township On Hindustan Paper Corp. Land

MORIGAON: According to minister Jayanta Malla Baruah, the Assam cabinet has authorised a plan to build a township on 550 acres of former Hindustan Paper Corp. land in the Morigaon district, close to Guwahati, which the state government purchased in March.

The council of ministers also approved a proposal to grant industry status to the tourism sector, opening the door for enterprises to take advantage of incentives offered under the state industrial strategy, he told the press after a cabinet meeting on Monday.

The decision to create a satellite town was made at the meeting today, he said. "The township will be established on 550 acres of land after discussions with the locals.

On March 28, the Assam government announced plans to pay Rs 375 crore to acquire the state's two shut-down paper mills owned by Hindustan Paper Corp (HPC), a public sector enterprise (PSU).

The units at Jagiroad in Morigaon and Panchgram in Hailakandi were successfully bid for by the Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC).

On October 20, 2015, HPC's Panchgram plant ceased operations, and on March 31, 2017, the Jagiroad mill also ceased operations. Since January and March of last year, respectively, no salaries have been provided to the personnel of the two units.

The Assam cabinet approved a Rs 700 crore assistance package for the two paper mills on September 30 of last year. The government had stated at the time that the majority of this sum would go toward paying staff salaries and benefits, while a smaller fraction would go toward other expenses including electricity costs.

Both paper mills' combined land area is around 1,550 acres.

Heritage hotels, bungalows, camping grounds, restaurants, amusement parks, ropeways, and adventure parks would be able to take advantage of increased benefits as a result of the cabinet giving the tourism sector industry status, according to Baruah, the tourism minister.

The tourism-based economy will undergo a paradigm shift as a result of the industry's status. As the new status will enable incentives, subsidies, and reimbursements, among other things, it will attract a lot of private investment, he predicted. This will lead to the creation of new jobs.

Also read: Leopard Traped in Umananda Island of Guwahati

Also watch: