Assam Company failed to take steps for welfare of tea labourers: AATTSA

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: More than 40,000 tea labourers of Assam Company India Limited, the first tea company of India, are in a fix as internationally famed businessman BR Shetty, the owner of the 14 tea estates of the company, has initiated no steps for the welfare of company's workforce in last three financial years.

Controversial business owner Shetty's BRS Ventures Investment Limited promised to invest Rs 150 crore for the welfare of the 40,000 workforce, including temporary labourers, within six months from the date of purchase of the 14 tea estates, namely Borboruah, Maijan, Greenhood, Thanai, Hazel bank Naduwa Digaltarang, Dinjoy, Rongagora, Kondoli, Salna, Khumtai, Kothalguri and Mohkhuti of the Assam Company. But the All Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association, Assam (AATTSA) alleged that Shetty's company had not initiated any welfare steps for the workforce of the company and had also failed to deposit Rs 1,79,29,43,954 against the Provident Fund of the employees and labourers of the company since 2014.

AATTSA further levelled a serious charge against Pritam Melenta, CEO of Shetty's company, alleging that he had tried to sell the tea estates' land part by part by forming a special committee. Melenta also allegedly hatched a conspiracy to dupe OIL in the pretext of claiming a big amount of compensation against those labourers of Bagjan area of Digal Tarang Tea Estate who suffered in the OIL's fire at Bagjan.

The AATTSA also alleged that BR Shetty also promised to promote economic and tourism in the tea estates of the company, to pay all due PF fund, gratuity fund and release of pension of labourers, to construct all dilapidated labour quarters and to set up a super specialty hospital for the company , but nothing has done till date.

Finding no option, AATTSA president Bimal Bag and its secretary, Lakhindar Kurmi in a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma through the Deputy Commissioner, Dibrugarh, said that they would not hesitate to launch stir if the government failed to take immediate action against their genuine demands.

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