Assam: Ex-tea planters’ bodies to start agitation if demands are not met

GUWAHATI: After some of the demands, including a 3% reservation in jobs for the Tea and Ex-Tea communities, were considered by the state government, the Ex-Tea People’s Forum and Students’ Forum expressed displeasure over the government’s lax attitude towards the remaining demands. Speaking to the media at the office of the forum, its president, Dr. Lakshmi Niwas Kalwar, expressed regret over the lax attitude of the government. He said that if the demands are not met soon, the Joint Forum will hold a meeting soon to chalk out a bigger movement.

Although he thanked the Assam government for accepting some of the demands, Dr. Kalwar reiterated his appeal to meet the remaining demands soon.

He also added that the forum is ready to discuss with the government a roadmap to fulfil the pending demands. In response to the question of journalists about the outline of the movement, Dr. Kalwar, without saying anything specific, said that the organizational units and the executive committee of the forum will take the decision on time.

The demands include increasing the amount of student scholarships to cover the cost of education for students from Tea and Ex-Tea communities due to their very low income and ensuring provision of scholarships at an enhanced rate to all students in this community irrespective of OBC category, ensuring Hindi medium education in the primary schools of the area as per NEP, establishing model higher secondary schools in every tea garden, increasing the 3 percent reservation in government jobs to 9 percent, reservation of 10% seats in medical colleges, providing special allowance for nutrition, study materials, coaching etc., for preparation of job aspirants, removal of caste certificate complexities, complete ban on the sale and consumption of liquor in the Tea and Ex-Tea garden areas, to enact laws to completely ban the transfer or disposal of tea garden or ex-tea garden land to outsiders or any other party and also to restrict government acquisition to very urgent cause only, to arrange with government subsidies to provide Rs 450 to the tea workers in recognition of their silent hard work contributive for the nation allowing them humane life, taking special measures to strengthen sick and weak tea gardens, increasing the extent of tea cultivation in surplus and abandoned land in every tea garden enhancing employment and production, etc., a press release said.

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