Since the last 14 years, the employees of Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation Limited (BVFCL) have been demanding the setting up of a fourth plant at Namrup in Upper Assam’s Dibrugarh district. In pursuant to this, a meeting was held between the people of Namrup and the Agriculture Minister of Assam Atul Bora at the BVFCL Guest House auditorium on Wednesday. The meeting was organised by the Namrup unit of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
In the meeting, Bora made it clear that since BVFCL was one of the oldest fertiliser units of the country, the Government “could not afford to let this unit close shop and the fourth plant would have to be set up at any cost.” In the meeting, the 120th Naharkatia Legislative Assembly AGP MLA Naren Sonowal questioned, “If New Delhi can spend Rs 422.28 crores for Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur fertiliser unit, Rs 419.77 crores for the Bihar Barauni fertiliser unit and Rs 415.77 crores for Jharkhand Sindhi fertiliser unit, then why the Nelson’s eye attitude towards the Namrup BVFCL fertiliser unit? What is coming in the way of setting up the fourth plant of BVFCL?”
The Namrup Fertiliser Shramik Union (NFSU) general secretary Tileswar Borah said, “The BVFCL employees’ future is shrouded in uncertainty with the Government taking no initiative in setting up the fourth plant.”
The Namrup unit of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), All Tai Ahom Students’ Union and several other organisations submitted memoranda to minister Bora to be handed over to the Assam Chief Minister (CM) Sarbananda Sonowal containing various demands. Around 200 people attended the meeting.