A CORRESPONDENT
GUWAHATI: Minister for Environment and Forest, Fisheries and Excise, Parimal Suklabaidya urged the tea garden workers to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols to keep coronavirus away. Suklabaidya said this while visiting Derby tea garden in Cachar district to take stock of the COVID-19 preparedness for the tea garden workers on Sunday.
The Minister said that the government is working day in and day out to inoculate the tea garden workers, setting up vaccination centres and COVID Care Centres within the garden premises. He urged the plantation workers to wear a mask, maintain social distance and wash hands with soap and water frequently to keep the virus at bay.
Citing researchers, Suklabaidya advised the tea garden workers to take steam inhalation over 50° centigrade at least two-three times a day to minimise the risk of infection. He called upon the tea garden management to step up the COVID awareness programme.
Suklabaidya, who is in charge of COVID-19 management for Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts of South Assam's Barak Valley, called upon everyone to rise in unison to make the state and the country COVID free.
The Minister also gave away fogging machines, hand sanitisers and masks to the management committee of Derby tea estate for distribution among the plantation workers.
President, BJP Borjalenga Mondal, Sushil Ranjan Dhar, Manager, Derby tea estate, S.Singh, Member, Zilla Parishad, L.Bani Yadav, GP President, Pradip Kanu, among others.
Meanwhile, the Assam Government on Saturday decided to facilitate COVID-19 vaccination in tea garden areas through onsite registration following a spike in COVID positive cases among the plantation workers. Assam has 803 large estates and more than 1.5 lakh small tea gardens with a strong workforce of 10 lakh people.