Government to take over land and property of paper mills: CM Himanta

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Government will take over the land and property of Nagaon Paper Mill and Cachar Paper Mill - the two defunct paper mills owned by the Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd. This was announced in the House today by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He said that the process for the takeover was almost completed.

"The Assam Government is ready to acquire the assets of the two paper mills. The government only has to pay the property valuation amount by March 31," said the Chief Minister.

He said that the government had already announced a relief package of Rs 750 crore for the employees of the two mills. This package will also be used to clear all pending bills of the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB). The Chief Minister assured that as promised earlier, the government would clear all pending dues of the employees. "The disbursement of the relief package has been delayed a little but within a month, all dues will be cleared," said Sarma.

Notably, as the revival of the two paper mills is not viable, the Assam Government proposes to set up small-scale industries on the land of the two paper mills.

Speaking about Advantage Assam, the economic summit organized by the Government of Assam, the Chief Minister said that the media, Opposition and some intellectuals often question him as to whether the State had gained anything out of this summit. The Chief Minister told the House that the expansion project of Numaligarh Refinery, the cancer hospital project and the expansion project of Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited (APL) have been possible because of Advantage Assam.

"If any MLA has any questions on Advantage Assam, we can furnish all details," said the Chief Minister and added, "Some people have a mindset to only highlight what the government has not done, they choose to oversee what the government has done and achieved. After the Advantage Assam was organized, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the State, because of which some projects got delayed. Criticizing the government is an essential part of democracy but if the government is also appreciated for the good work it does, we can strike a healthy balance."

Also Read : HPCL arrears: Rs 650-crore package ready, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Also watch: