ASSAM, Nov 7: Tea garden workers staged protests in several parts of Assam on Saturday, demanding land rights, Scheduled Tribe status and an increase in daily wages.
The protests were led by the Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association (ATTSA). Protesters alleged that the BJP government had promised Scheduled Tribe status, a daily wage of Rs 551 and land pattas for families living in tea garden areas ahead of the elections, but had not fulfilled the assurances.
Hundreds of workers protested at Dhali Samaguri Tea Estate in Titabor, carrying placards and raising slogans against the government. Similar protests were held at Arunoday Tea Estate in the Marangi area near Numaligarh, where men and women workers joined association leaders and members.
In Nazira, the association's Mekipukhuri sub-branch, supported by the Ligiripukhuri Tea Estate primary unit, held a two-hour protest. Workers demanded land pattas for families living in tea garden areas.
Association office-bearers also demonstrated in front of a tea estate office in Golaghat, alleging that promises made to tea workers ahead of the elections remained unfulfilled.
In Mathurapur in Charaideo district, the association's Mathurapur sub-branch held a sit-in outside the factory at Mathurapur Tea Estate. It demanded land rights for tea garden families living on the estates for years.
A protest was also held outside the factory at Phulbari Tea Estate under the Rangapara constituency in Sonitpur district. Led by the association's Balipara sub-branch, workers demanded land pattas, Scheduled Tribe status and higher daily wages. The association warned that it would intensify the agitation if the demands were not addressed.
