Guwahati: Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has directed the tea industry in the state to implement all clauses of the Plantation Labour Act (PLA), 1951 properly within six months time to improve working and
living condition of tea workers in the state and warned that punitive measures would be taken against tea gardens for failure to comply with the directive.
In a meeting held with the representatives of the leading tea planters’ associations including the
Indian Tea Association, Tea Association of India , Assam Tea Planters’ Association (ATPA), North East Tea Association (NETA), Bharatiya Chah Parishad (BCP), the chief minister Gogoi through a power point presentation pointed out how tea gardens in the state had failed to provide adequate housing, drinking water , sanitation, healthcare and education facilities for tea workers as per the provisions of the Plantation Labour Act.
The tea planters’ associations were told that because of their failure to provide proper sanitation facility, drinking water and healthcare, there has been high incidence of diseases like malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis, diarrhea etc. among tea garden workers while rate of death of the mother during delivery of child is highest among tea garden workers in the state.
The state government censured the tea planters for failing to employ sufficient number of doctors and para-medical staff in garden hospitals and also for not appointing adequate number of teachers in Lower Primary schools in tea gardens.
The government pointed out that the tea garden owners have totally ignored the provision of the Plantation Labour Act, 1951 that required them to set up crèche to keep children of tea workers when their parents are working in tea estates.
Gogoi, therefore, directed the tea garden owners to implement all the provisions of the Plantation
Labour Act within six months time to make life better for tea workers failing which punitive action will be taken against defaulting tea gardens.
The planters were informed that a monitoring committee would be set up under the Deputy Commis-sioners of each district to inspect implementation status of the said Act in every garden in the state.
Gogoi also directed the planters to revise the wages of tea workers as per the Minimum Wages Act and start payment of wages to tea workers in their bank accounts only with effect from April next year.
The CM also pointed out that it was the responsibility of tea garden owners to provide ration to tea workers though Assam government would try its best to persuade the Centre to continue with the present
system of allocation of subsidized food grains for tea garden workers in the State.
