Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association threatens stir over proposed airport

A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: The Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association (ATTSA) has threatened a mass agitation against the Government's move to set up a Greenfield airport at Dolu Tea Estate (TE) in Cachar district.

ATTSA leaders on Monday assembled in a meeting at Lalbagh Tea Estate near Dolu, chaired by its central committee member Subir Karmakar, and registered the first protest against the Government's move to take over the Dolu TE to establish the proposed Greenfield airport.

It is learnt from the local administration that the Government has estimated the value of Dolu TE, which covers 873 acres, at Rs 50 crore. According to ATTSA sources, the tea garden has nearly 15,000 permanent as well as contractual labourers.

A speaker in today's meeting said that the bread and butter of at least 30,000 people are solely dependent on this tea garden. The Government has completely ignored the interest of the large labourer community. It is to be noted that Silchar MP Rajdeep Roy had recently informed the Press that an 'international airport' would be set up in Cachar. Later on January 1, during an interaction with the media, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also endorsed Roy's announcement. However, none of them had specified the exact place where the airport would be set up.

Later on, a communication from the Dispur to the district administration recently pointed that the proposed airport would be of the Greenfiled category. ATTSA has threatened that if the Government overlooks the interest of the labourers, they would be compelled to resort to mass agitation.

Also Read:  Assam Tea Tribes Students Association (ATTSA) submits two memoranda

Also watch: