The Hindustan Unilevers Limited on Sunday agrees to withdraw its one and half month long lock-out at personal care product factory at Domdooma in upper Assam’s Tinsukia district. The factory was closed down on 15th of July, 2007 after the workers union detained some of its managerial staff for nearly 16 hours without allowing them to have meal and water demanding more incentives and facilities from the authority. There was also a lady officer among the hostages. Police later intervened into the business and rescued the held captives, which sparked the situation and forced the management to declare an indefinite lock out at the factory with an immediate affect. Hindustan Unilever (earlier Hindustan Lever) Limited owns several Tea Gardens in and around Domdooma apart from the personal care product factory, which was set up in 2001 availing benefits of North East Industrial Policy-1997 including excise duty exemption and capital subsidy. The factory produces personal-care products like skin care cream, body lotion, toothpaste, with an estimated workforce of about 850 people. Doomdooma is located approximately 510 km east to Assam's capital city Guwahati.
According to the union leaders this conflict was inevitable following suspension of eight union leaders by management on 10th of July. They were accused of indulging workers in unauthorized activities. The workers were on a series of strike demanding special allowance.
Hindustan Unilever operates more than 45 factories across India. Doomdooma factory produces 30,000 metric tonnes of products per annum, accounting for about 35 percent of the company's total output of personal-care products in the country. Later on 18th August one worker who was also an assistant general secretary of the Union and allegedly responsible for the unrest committed suicide by himself ignited the workers movement delaying conciliatory moves. He had been placed under suspension along with the eight other employees. He was found hanging from the ceiling in his house on the day in which hundreds of workers formed a new union alleging former one anti worker.
A tripartite meeting was held among the representative of new union, Government of Assam and HUL to solve the problem. HUL was represented by a Vice President coming from Mumbai and state government by Hiranya Borah, Chairman Assam Industrial Development Corporation. The meeting was a marathon one, started Saturday evening and concluded at 8 AM on Sunday morning. The HUL authority agreed to reopen its factory withdrawing lock out from Monday as an out come of the meeting.
Assam Congress mires in a mysterious incident much to the embarrassment of APCC president Bhubneswar Kalita and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. APCC secretary Rajesh has been absconding with Rs.1 crore in cash he allegedly received meant for to party high command in Delhi. According to sources, Joshi and his family vanished from Guwahati after he received the money at Nakashtra Hotel in Guwahati. He received the amount one Tarh Koyu, a contractor in Arunachal Pradesh who brought the money on behalf of Chief Minister Nabam Tuki. The deal was struck on September 7. Koyu was sent to Guwahati to transfer the money to AICC. But under some mysterious circumstance, the money reached Joshi. The money...
For the first time the dangerous dengue strikes the state with altogether 13 cases. The cases reported mostly from Guwahati and its surrounding areas. Nine cases were reported from Kamrup (metro) district and one from Kamrup (rural) district on Friday. Three other cases have been reported from International Hospitals in Guwahati. NVBDCP sources said that over 10 cases have been reported so far forcing the department to start fogging and awareness programme in the affected areas. The disease is caused by the biting of aedes mosquito, which breeds in stagnant water.
The overall flood scene remains unchanged on Saturday. Fresh rains wreaked havoc in the form of flood inundating several villages in Dhemaji, Lakhmpur, Jorhat, Nagaon, Kamrup, Barpeta and Nagaon districts. Although there was no report of loss of life. District administrations rescued many affected people to higher ground. An alert has been sounded in Majuli, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Sivasagar. The government has announced measures to provide relief to the affected people and instructed the deputy commissioners of districts accordingly.
ULFA militants exploded yet another grenade in Sivasagar district of Assam on Friday to make their presence felt.The blast took place at Sonari near petrol pump at around 10-40 at night. There is, however, no report of any casualty. Police officials have rushed to the spot.
Surging waters of the Brahmaputra have again threaten to ravage the Kaziranga National Park and Dibru Saikhowa National Park in Tinsukia.
Another worst hit area is the river island Majuli in Jorhat were submerged and it was also cut off from the mainland due to stoppage of ferry services.
Security forces are fanning the along the Assam-Mizoram inter state border in Cachar district following tension flare up from Friday. Efforts were on to initiate talks with Deputy Commissioner of Kolasib district in Mizoram and a letter had already been sent to him in this regard. Notably, several organisations took out a protest march on Thursday demanding immediate solution of the long-standing boundary dispute between Assam and Mizoram.The organisations - All Barak Youth and Students Association, Dalit Sena, several local clubs among others, alleged that a few days back the pillar between Assam-Mizoram border was destroyed by unidentified miscreants.
The Assam government keeps kept the air force on standby in view of the flash floods that renders lakhs of people homeless. Kamrup, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Sonitpur districts have been submerged by the surging waters of the rivers. At least 25 villages in Kamrup district were affected due to floods.
Authorities have sounded alert was in most of the affected districts as the Brahmaputra river is flowing above danger level at some points - particularly in Dibrugarh and Jorhat districts and showing a rising trend at many places. Two youth - students of Doomdooma College in Tinsukia district were also drowned on Thursday as they w
Flood waves are back to wreak havoc. The situation has turned from bad to worse.Over ten lakh people have been affected in seven districts killing two youths in Tinsukia district and renders lakhs of people homeless. The government has also pressed into service the National Disaster Response Force to expedite relief and rescue.
The third special train for Bangalore left Guwahati on Thursday carrying altogether 1264 people back to the southern city. Amid tight security, the train left the Guwahati Railway station at 11 in the morning with the passengers, mostly, who left Bangalore at the height of rumours of attack on north east people. Earlier, two the Assam government arranged two special trains to carry hundreds of passengers back Bangalore who were willing to resume work or study.
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