Assam: Below par amenities in some Tea estates of state

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: A section of tea garden managements in Assam continue to fall short of doing enough to meet basic amenities for their workers as suggested by the Assam Plantation Labour Rules.

According to the Plantation Labour Rules (APLR), the houses of the workers need proper upkeep after a regular interval of time, paving approach roads, providing streetlights on line roads, maintenance of crèches, running canteen in non-profit mode, etc.

The CAG's audit survey teams physically verified labour lines in 39 tea gardens in the state, and found 20 gardens did not comply with the annual lime wash of workers' houses, while 24 other gardens did not comply with annual repair of workers' houses, etc.

The team visited tea gardens like Tinkharia, Shyamguri, Amluckie, Kaliapani, Manohari, Poloi, and Jalannagar Tea Estates.

As per Rule 60 of APLR, employers shall maintain in good condition the approach roads and paths to the areas where houses are located. However, the CAG team found the roads and paths in pitiable conditions with waterlogging, kutcha roads, etc. The team found no streetlights across the labour lines.

According to Rule 44 of APLR, every tea garden with over 150 workers should maintain a canteen on a non-profit basis. However, the team found such canteens only in 12 of the 34 gardens visited. Likewise, a garden with over 50 women workers needs to maintain a crèche. However, the team found this facility in 28 of the 37 gardens visited.

Also Read: Assam: Protests Erupt at Talup Tea Estate Over Salary Issues (sentinelassam.com)

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