31 cases filed against Assam tea garden owners

Guwahati: Assam government on Thursday said it has registered 31 different cases under the Plantation Labour Act against a number of tea garden owners for not implementing various schemes and welfare measures for workers.
“Tea garden owners are not doing enough for the workers and we are taking note of this. We have registered 31 cases so far for not implementing the schemes for workers,” Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said at a press conference here.
However, he declined to elaborate on the nature of the cases and at what stages of investigation they were in. “Despite telling the owners to give minimum wages for unskilled workers, they are not doing so. “The current notified minimum wage is Rs 169 per day and they (owners) have to give it,” Gogoi said.
He mentioned there were shortages of doctors, houses and other necessary amenities in the tea gardens. The Chief Minister expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that the tea garden owners frequently go to the Court and obtain stay over any unfavourable government notifications. “Now we are determined that the Plantation Labour Act has to be implemented. We cannot allow labourers to be exploited,” he said.
Talking about the farmer’s suicide on Wednesday at a rally of Aam Aadmi Party in New Delhi, he said it was very unfortunate that such an incident took place it the national capital.
“In Assam, no farmer has committed suicide,” Gogoi said adding, there might be a few cases of starvation deaths in the state.
On the two-day conference of Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police, which concluded here on Wednesday, the chief minister said he has asked for bringing government schemes to fast-track delivery system for the people to reap the benefits in a time bound manner. He said the district administration has been asked to take steps for the disposal of mutation, partition and conversion cases on a mission mode from May 1 to 15 this year. To ensure welfare of the tea garden workers, the DCs were told to enforce the Plantation Labour Act in letter and spirit, the Gogoi said. (PTI)