A CORRESPONDENT
SILCHAR: Amid massive controversy over land acquisition, Doloo Tea Estate on Tuesday declared an absolute lockout of the garden. In a notice, the management in categorical terms, stated that no workers would be entitled to any benefits like ration, wages. The notice, signed by Supriyo Sikdar, deputy manager of the estate, further underlined that workers did not report to work as per the timing fixed in the 'Kamjari'. "Due to complete lawlessness and delay in reporting at work place by workers plucking round could not be maintained and the management of Doloo Tea Estate has suffered an irreparable loss in terms of quantity and quality of tea produced," the notice further mentioned.
Meanwhile, the workers, who had been protesting the proposed greenfield airport at two divisions of Doloo, smelt a pre-planned conspiracy behind the decision of lockout. They refuted the charge of negligence in duty.
Recently, the district administration made a drive, that stirred up nationwide controversy, with more than one hundred and fifty excavators to acquire 2500 bighas of land in Lalbagh and Mainagarh divisions. Labourers ln Tuesday argued that since tea bushes in Mainagarh were completely chopped off, they were now asked by the authority to walk three kilometres one way and that caused delay in their arrival time. Management had not provided any commute to them, they further argued.
Labourers had sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they said that they had voted for the BJP and now the State government was betraying them.
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