It’s Final, Government Not To Revive Hindustan Paper Corporation Mills

GUWAHATI: It’s final now – there’s no move from the government to revive the two HPC (Hindustan Paper Corporation) mills. The last straw in the negative series of events relating to the two HPC mills is that the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has already started hearing for their liquidation. The NCLT is a quasi-judicial body settling company disputes.

The current obscurity relating to the two paper mills has left a number of questions unanswered. What will be the fate of the some 1,190 permanent employees of the two paper mills? Will they get their arrears of salaries? Who will they (the employees) approach now? It seems uncertainty surrounding the two mills has thickened up even more.

According to sources, right from coming to power at Dispur the BJP-led government tried it hard for the revival of the two paper mills. Dispur is on record of sending a paper mill revival package worth Rs 1,950 crore to the Government of India. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal personally took up the matter with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Initially, the Central Government did respond positively. However, for the past one year, there has been no response from the Centre. It seems, the Government of India felt that spending a huge amount for the revival of the two moribund papers mills would prove to be a futile exercise, and kept mum.

It came to light during the hearing at the NCLT that there was no move from the Government of India for the revival of the two mills. In the meantime, some of the creditors of the two HPC mills moved the NCLT seeking their (mills) liquidation. With hearing for liquidation of the two mills currently underway, there is nothing to do from the government’s side now as ‘liquidation and revival’ cannot go simultaneously.

If interested, private party/parties can acquire the two paper mills after liquidation. However, will the would-be private management/managements take the job security of the employees of the two mills? A million dollar question! In such an event, the government will have no scope for intervention.

Significantly, under pressure from Dispur the Centre did announce the release of Rs 90 crore for paying arrears of the two paper mill employees. Strangely enough, the employees are yet to get their arrears of salaries.

Talking to The Sentinel, Manabendra Chakraborty, the chief convener of the HPC Paper Mill Revival Action Committee, said: “Right from the beginning, the government assured us of reviving the two paper mills. State Industries Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary was even on records saying on the floor of the State Assembly that the revival package of the two paper mills was final. However, all those assurances failed to materialize. Where has the Rs 90 crore released for the payment of arrears of salaries of the mill employees gone?”

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