Massive eviction drive in Lalbagh Tea Estate, Silchar

A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: The state police, equipped with more than one hundred excavators and around a thousand armed personnel, forcibly removed plantations from Lalbagh, a division of Dolu TE Estate-l, where a 'greenfield airport' was proposed.

The protesting labourers were shocked to see the posse of armed personnel in the early morning. The eviction drive started with the incessant rains last night. The angry started to protest in the morning only to be chased away by the police led by ADGP GP Singh. Minor scuffles and major wailing marked the first day of the massive eviction drive in Dolu on Thursday.

On Wednesday night, the Cachar District Administration clamped 144 CrPC in the entire Dolu area. Braving the heavy shower, more than one hundred excavators, mostly hired from other districts, started to move towards the tea garden even before sunrise. Police officials in anti-riot gear, cordoned off the entire Lalbagh TE and the excavators were put to work. Soon the labourers rushed to the greenery and raised slogans like, "kill us first, then destroy the plantation." A few women were seen crying at the feet of the policemen. As the day rolled on, a group of agitated labourers, braving the 144 CrPC tried to stop the eviction, but it took little time for the armed force to chase them away.

Dolu TE estate had been proposed for the setting up of a 'greenfield airport' by the government and accordingly, an MoU had been signed with the estate authority. All the main trade unions, belonging to the three leading political banners were parties to the treaty. But interestingly, no stakeholders had ever tried to hear the version of the labourers. The crisis began when the labourers refused to let off the land they cultivate. The local BJP leaders did not even try to convince the labourers regarding their job security. Instead, MP Dr Rajdeep Roy termed the labourers' protest as a Maoist ploy to disrupt the proposed airport. This had irritated and insulted the labourers.

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