Goodwill grant for Dolu labourers get mixed response

A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: State Cabinet's decision to award Rs one lakh to 1,263 families of Dolu TE where the acquisition of 2,500 bighas of land was under the process created a mixed response in the political arena in Cachar. While the BJP welcomed the decision as a historic one, opposition parties like Congress and CPI(M) alleged that the labourers of Dolu were deprived in comparison with the Rajabari TE where NRL was set and the labourers were given Rs 5 lakh each.

Addressing a press meet here on Monday, Assam Tea Corporation chairman Rajdeep Goala said, "Himanta Biswa Sarma was committed to the cause of the tea garden labourers and in no case the labourers of Dolu would be deprived. He however dodged the question regarding the approval from Civil Aviation Ministry for the greenfield airport at Dolu. Rather Goala claimed that the government would clear all the dues of labourers working in gardens under ATC."

Tamal Kanti Banik, district Congress president on the other hand alleged that the BJP government was discriminating against the Dolu labourers. Dulal Mitra, general secretary of Cachar Hailakandi chapter of CPI(M) however questioned the very basis of goodwill grant that the Cabinet on Sunday announced for disbursing Rs one lakh grant to the Dolu labourers. Mitra said, labourers did not want grant, they deserved job security which the government was failing to assure.

Assam Majuri Shramik Union which had been steering the labour agitation in Dolu outrightly rejected the proposal of a goodwill grant. Mrinal Kanti Shome, president of the Union said, they would talk to the labourers to chalk out next step of action.

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