The state government has taken necessary steps in order to give a new lease of life to the Assam Syntex Limited (ASL), a spinning mill industry in the public sector situated at Nathkuchi near here and it has naturally created a jubiliant atmosphere in and around the area besides making its more than five hundred employees joyful. Unfortunately the industry remained closed for long nine years back.

It can be recalled here that the foundation stone of the ASL was laid on April 7, 1984 by Hiteswar Saikia, the then chief minister and the same was later inaugurated by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta the then chief minister on June 20 in 1986. The mill was even able to earn country-wide fame for itself by making record in terms of its produce within very short period of time.

However it was during the financial year 1993-94 that the then ruling Congress government closed the unit declaring the same to be a sick industry. Later, the government itself was involved in a conspiracy to sell out the unit but failed mainly due to public awareness and strong vigil. On the other hand the last Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) government too took no bold steps for revival of the mill.

In any case, the state government and the Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) have now come forward to restart the process of production in the mill. The State government and the AIDC have leased out the mill to Advent Industries Limited (AIL), a Guwahati-based private sector company for a term of seven years. According to the agreement the AIL will have to make a payment of Rs 18 lakh as ‘lease amount’ per anum and also to transfer the ownership of the industry after completion of the term either in fully working condition or in a condition that the industry is free from any kind of financial liabilities whatsoever.

It can be mentioned here that a team of the AIL visited the mill campus last year and the jubiliant employees and workers even celebrated the Viswakarma puja with the expectation that they would be able to engage themselves with the production work of the mill very soon. However, the revival process of the mill went on at a snail’s pace and as such, the process of production has not been started as yet. At present the necessary repair works of the machines and tools and other gadgets and cleanliness of the buildings and the campus are being carried on in full swing. However, about fifty percent of the machines and tools have already been damaged as because those had been there without being used for a very long time.
Meanwhile, the AIL authorities have asked the employees and the workers of the mill to contact them with their earlier appointment letters and as suchmost of them have reported for resuming their duties in their respective positions they held earlier.

D.P. Maheshwari, The North East Times, TIHU, JULY 17: