HT Correspondent
MARGHERITA, Aug 2: A major scam has come to light regarding the charging of electricity fees connected to the residences of workers at Powai Tea Estate under the Margherita subdivision of Tinsukia district.
The families of the 1,210 tea garden workers at Powai Tea Estate had been having money deducted from their salaries every fortnight for electricity fees connected to their residences. This money was supposedly deposited by the garden authorities at the APDCL Margherita office.
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However, on April 10, 2018, Prahlad Mahananda, Bimal Gowala, Jharia Uraon, Rafal Tanti, Nakul Das, and Khageshwar Gogoi, all workers at the Powai Tea Estate, handed a letter to the manager of Powai Tea Estate requesting the money deducted from the workers for electricity bills. Accordingly, the garden manager handed over cheques to electricity bill reader Jayanta Parmanik every month, amounting to Rs 1,43,38,428.65 until June 20, 2023, said Hari Nanda Gorh, secretary of Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha Margherita branch, at a press meet on Friday.
In July 2023, APDCL Margherita disconnected the electricity connection of the workers’ quarters at Powai Tea Estate due to non-payment of electricity bills for many years, said Hari Nanda Gorh.
Upon enquiry, it was learned from the Powai Tea Estate authorities that the manager of Powai Tea Estate had handed over the entire amount of money deducted from the workers’ salaries in the name of electricity bills to Jayanta Parmanik. The workers, along with the garden manager, discovered from the APDCL Margherita office that Jayanta Parmanik had not deposited the amount at the APDCL Margherita office. According to the APDCL Margherita office, from February 2021 to June 2023, Jayanta Parmanik deposited less than Rs 29,84,390.10, even though he had collected a total amount of Rs 64,62,295.86 from the Powai Tea Estate manager. This discrepancy has led to a mess over the non-payment of electricity bills taken from the workers, said Hari Nanda Gorh.
From January 2018 to January 2023, the APDCL Margherita office has not yet informed how much remaining money was deposited by Jayanta Parmanik during this period. There have been significant financial irregularities by Jayanta Parmanik. Now, the tea garden workers of Powai Tea Estate have demanded the manager make arrangements to refund the money, said Hari Nanda Gorh.
On July 22, a FIR was lodged at Digboi Police Station by the tea garden workers of Powai Tea Estate. In the FIR, it was mentioned that the six workers at Powai Tea Estate, namely Prahlad Mahananda, Bimal Gowala, Jharia Uraon, Rafal Tanti, Nakul Das, and Khageshwar Gogoi, had appointed Jayanta Parmanik as an electricity bill reader. Despite the large-scale scam, Digboi police have not arrested anyone yet. Hence, the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha Margherita branch committee requests that Digboi police and the Margherita sub-divisional administration (civil) immediately take stringent action against those involved in the large-scale electricity bill scam and that the management of Powai Tea Estate make necessary arrangements to return the money deducted from the workers, said Hari Nanda Gorh, secretary of Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha Margherita branch.
