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Tea major Hindustan Lever Ltd, facing threat to its employees from United Liberation Front of Asom, will not withdraw its operations from Assam following an assurance by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi that the company's interests would be protected, HLL sources said.
HLL director (plantation) S K Dhal and corporate director (human resource development) Gurdeep Singh met Gogoi in Guwahati on Friday and expressed concern over the security situation following the ULFA rocket attack on its executive's residence in Doom Dooma, Upper Assam, on Thursday.
They also discussed the threats from ULFA on the HLL employees and property in the state, official sources said on Saturday.
Gogoi assured that HLL's interests in the state would be protected the sources said, adding three sections of Border Security Force had already been deployed near the HLL personal products factory inside Raidang tea estate in Doom Dooma.
Gogoi also informed the HLL executives that army patrolling had been intensified in the area and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani had been requested to send additional paramilitary forces to maintain law and order in the state.
HLL's operations in the state cover 16 tea estates and the personal product factory that produces 35 per cent of the total such products produced by the company in the country.
The HLL executives also met chief secretary J P Rajkhowa and director general of Police P V Sumant to discuss security measures, sources added.
HLL had in early 1990s, suspended operations and airlifted its senior executives from the state in the wake of insurgent attacks.