News from silchar

Foundation
Silchar: The foundation stone for work on the Kumbhirgram-Udharbond Road which connects the airport with Silchar was laid by Union minister for heavy industries Sontosh Mohan Dev recently. The 12-km-long road will be made a double-lane under the central road fund.

Hospital
Silchar: Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Wednesday that the state government had planned to set up two separate and inde pendent wings for maternity and paediatrics on the Ghoongur campus of Silchar Medical College and Hospital, 6km south of Silchar town, at a cost of Rs 16 crore.

Man held
Hailakandi: Hailakandi police on Wednesday arrested Zakir Hossain, 32, the kingpin of an inter-state car-lifting gang, during a raid in the district.

Bamboo flowering leaves mill starving

June 30: The flowering of bamboo groves in Mizoram has raised fears of a sharp dip in output at the Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd, which is just back on its feet after a blaze.

After lying defunct for nearly a month following a fire at its digester machine room, the paper mill at Panchgram became operational last week.

But chief executive officer Mohan Jha’s pressing concern now is the shrinking supply of raw materials, which could land the Rs 387-crore enterprise in trouble again.

The paper mill with a capacity of 1 lakh tonne annual output, gets its supply mainly from North Cachar Hills and Mizoram.

With the once-in-50-years phenomenon of bamboo flowering destroying groves, the Panchgram paper mill cannot hope for a steady supply for the next few months.

“The little stock left in Mizoram cannot be transported to Panchgram through National Highway 53 because of the pitiable condition of the roads leading to the highway,” Jha said.

Adding to his woes is the failure of bamboo suppliers in the Barak Valley to ensure regular supply of bamboo stock from Cachar and Tripura.

Jha is now hoping that a good monsoon will feed the rivers in Mizoram and facilitate transportation through the waterways.

Union heavy industries and public enterprises minister Sontosh Mohan Dev, too, is worried over the condition of HPC’s Panchgram plant.

On June 20, the legislator from Cachar held a meeting at his Delhi office to end the stalemate at the Panchgram unit of the mill.

Top officials of the HPC and the executive councillors of the North Cachar Autonomous District Council attended the brainstorming exercise in Delhi’s Yodyag Bhavan.

SOURCE: TELEGRAPH INDIA