Gadchiroli May 10 (District Correspondent) The workers of the APR Sack Plant, Ashti in Chamorshi taluka have finally secured success as a decision regarding disbursement of a total sum of Rs. 3.08 Crores—comprising Rs. 3.04 Crores in pending gratuity and Rs. 3.85 Lakhs for their leave encashment has been taken thanks to the persistent efforts of Ashti Paper Mill Union President Nareshbabu Pugalia.
Information had surfaced indicating that Avanta Holdings Ltd.—an associate company of the renowned paper manufacturing firm, Ballarpur Paper Mill—intended to relocate the APR Sack Plant, a paper bag manufacturing unit situated in Ashti to another location. It was also reported that the 292.50 acres of land belonging to the Ashti Paper Mill, along with all its infrastructure, had been sold to Triveni Lloyds Metals Ltd. Consequently, a fear of unemployment arose among the approximately 400 workers employed at the facility—comprising 44 permanent staff members and 343 contractual workers.
On February 24, 2026, the recognized trade union initiated a chain hunger strike at the Ashti Paper Mill premises. Taking cognizance of the hunger strike, hearings in this matter commenced in the chambers of the Additional Labour Commissioner, Nagpur. Subsequently, a series of meetings were held between the recognized union and the management.
On May 6, 2026, at the office of the Additional Labour Commissioner, Nagpur, a collaborative resolution was reached between the management of the AHL Ashti Unit (APR Sack Plant), Ballarpur Paper Mill (BGPPL), and the workers’ union, aimed at saving the Ashti Sack Plant.
The terms agreed upon were to ensure that the SACK PLANT continues to operate at its original location in Ashti, it was decided to lease 14.06 acres of land—out of the total 292.5 acres owned by the Ashti SACK PLANT—to the AHL Ashti Unit (APR SACK PLANT), just as was done previously.
Furthermore, it was decided to set aside a security deposit of Rs. 5 crores for the workers employed at the SACK PLANT. Additionally, a resolution was reached to finalize the pending wage revision agreement by December 31, 2026. It was also decided to request the BGPPL management to urge the new industrial entity Lloyd Metals Ltd. to provide employment to the local landowners who had originally contributed their land for the establishment of the BILT facility.
Through the dedicated efforts of the Workers’ Union President, Mr. Nareshbabu Pugalia, a solution safeguarding the interests of the workers was successfully devised, thereby ensuring the preservation of the Ashti SACK PLANT.
The BILT management officers and Union office bearers also had a important role in resolving the issue. They included Niharji Agarwal, COO, BILT Group, Mr. Ranji Abraham, Vice President, HR, Uday Kukade, GM, Pravin Shankar HR, Mr. Sureshbabu, Business Head, Ashti Sack Plant, Mr. John Mathew, Operations Head, Ashti Sack Plant, Union office bearers Mr. B.C. Banerjee, Tarasingh Kalsi, Mr. Virendra Arya, and Mr. Subhash Mathankar, along with Additional Labour Commissioner Mr. Kishore Dahiphalkar.
