Dispur to TEs: Install CCTVs in factories

GUWAHATI: The increasing accidents in tea garden factories have led the State Government to ask garden managements to install CCTVs (closed circuit televisions) in their factories that have installations of risky machines. CCTV footage is very handy at the time of investigations into accidents to provide vital evidence to the government.

Apart from CCTVs, the government has asked tea garden management to take all safety measures.

A tea worker, Sukhman Munda (35), lost his life in an accident in the factory of Dufflaghur Tea Estate in Gohpur in July this year. Another worker also died in a fatal accident earlier. The year 2022 witnessed as many as 22 accidents in tea factories, leading to the deaths of three and injuries to 19. Some of them sustained serious injuries. All such accidents have forced the government to take some sort of tough measure.

Speaking to The Sentinel, Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare and Labour Welfare Minister Sanjay Kishan said, “It has come to the attention of the State government that the number of accidents in tea garden factories has been on the rise in the state. We did tell the garden management to take adequate safety measures in their factories. We have constituted a task force comprising personnel from the Labour Department and the Inspectorate of Factories. They will inspect the garden factories physically to ascertain if the gardens have taken up safety measures. Reports have started to come to us. We will ask the gardens that have not taken up adequate safety measures to take proper steps, failing which, we will take legal measures against them.”

Kishan also said, “As and when any accident occurs in any garden factory, the management tells the investigators that the accident occurred due to fault on the part of the worker. The lack of any video footage leaves the authorities without any clue to ascertain the truth. That’s why we have asked the gardens that have not yet installed CCTVs in their factories to do so without further delay. The CCTV footage will certainly help the authorities ascertain the fault and fix it. Some of the gardens often employ unskilled workers to work in factories. According to the rules, only skilled labourers should work in factories. We have asked the gardens to engage only skilled workers in factories. If they face a dearth of skilled workers, they should train them.”

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