HT Correspondent
TINSUKIA, Oct 8: Thousands of tea community workers staged a massive protest rally in Tinsukia town on Wednesday, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, land ownership rights, and an increase in daily wages for tea garden workers.
The demonstration, organised jointly by the Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (ATTSA), All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA), Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), Assam Chah Janajati Chhatra Sanstha, women’s groups, and other local organisations, coincided with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s visit to the town.
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The protesters blocked roads at Thana Chariali and raised slogans highlighting the government’s inaction on long-pending demands.
They accused the state administration of failing to fulfil promises made over a decade ago regarding ST status for tea tribes and five other indigenous communities, wage increases, and land pattas.
Placards and banners carried by demonstrators called for recognition as Scheduled Tribes, issuance of land deeds, and enhancement of daily wages, citing the inadequacy of current wages to meet basic living expenses.
Addressing the rally, ACMS secretary (Panitola Branch) and former MLA Raju Sahu criticised the government for neglecting socio-economic concerns of tea garden workers.
He highlighted issues including the sale of several estates, understaffed tea garden schools, inadequate health facilities, and rising prices making nutritious food unaffordable, leaving many workers underweight.
Sahu warned that the agitation would continue and intensify if the government failed to meet the demands of ST recognition and economic upliftment.
Protest leaders later submitted a memorandum to District Commissioner Swapneel Paul, addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging urgent intervention to expedite the process of granting ST status and ensuring land rights for the tea community.
The organisers emphasised that the protest was peaceful and democratic, aiming to draw attention to decades of neglect and secure the socio-economic rights of tea garden workers. (With inputs from PTI)
