CORRESPONDENTS
LAKHIMPUR: The Lakhimpur district unit of Assam Tea Tribe Students' Association (ATTSA) reiterated its demand to hike the daily wage of assam tea estates workers up to Rs. 351 and to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the tea tribe community immediately.
In support of these long-pending demands, the activists of the organization, led by Lakhimpur district unit president-in-charge Ashok Lakra, and secretary Chandra Garh, staged massive protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office on Thursday.
Attending the protest programme, ATTSA central committee vice-president Arup Boraik, assistant general secretary Sunil Tirki and organizing secretary Avisek Sona became vocal against the State and Union governments for their apathy with regard to fulfilling the demands since a long time. The protesters rocked the environment by shouting multiple slogans in support of their demands.
By staging the same protest programme, the organization further demanded the State Government to accord land pattas to the tea tribe community, to constitute separate council or committee in order to grant caste certificate to the people of the tea tribe community, and to pay priority to appoint the qualified youths of the tea tribe community in the model high school which were being established in the assam tea garden areas. The organization submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal through the Deputy Commissioner of Lakhimpur in support of the demands.
JAMUGURIHAT: The Biswanath district Assam Tea Tribe Students' Association (ATTSA), in association with its regional committees of Biswanath, Naduwar, Behali and Gohpur, staged a three-hour demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office, Biswanath on Thursday in support of their long-pending demands. The protesters demanded hike in daily wage of tea labourers to Rs 351, finalization of the wage of daily wage earners, inclusion of the tea tribe community in the ST list, permanent solution of land issues of the community, among others. The protesters shouted slogans in support of their demands. The demonstration was also attended by Mahesh Shatry, president of Biswanath district ATTSA, Ananta Sona, assistant general secretary of ATTSA central committee, among others.