Meeting held regarding tea worker's accident in Dibrugarh DC's office

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: The Assam Tea Tribe Students' Association (ATTSA) alleged negligence of Lapetkatta garden management in the accident of Maina Nayak (24) in CTC machine of the bought leaf factory.

On Thursday, a meeting was held at the Dibrugarh Deputy Commissioner's office regarding the accident of Maina Nayak. Members from ATTSA, Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), garden management, police and officials from Dibrugarh district administration were present during the meeting.

Talking to media persons, ATTSA, Dibrugarh district secretary Lakhindra Kurmi said, "The meeting was not satisfactory. We have demand Rs 20 lakh compensation for Maina. The young woman lost her hair after it got stuck inside the CTC machine. She was seriously injured and is undergoing treatment at GMCH in Guwahati. We held the garden management responsible for the incident because was no protective gear given to the employees during their work."

A delegation of ATTSA and ACMS held a long discussion with Dibrugarh Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu and other officials from the department. The students' body and ACMS submitted a memorandum to DC Biswajit Pegu against the garden management.

Meanwhile, Dibrugarh district administration has initiatex an inquiry into the incident. Speaking to the reporters, Dibrugarh DC Biswajit Pegu said, "Today, a meeting was held with ATTSA, ACMS and garden management regarding the accident case of Maina Nayak. During the meeting, a decision has been taken that a Safety Officer will be appointed in every tea garden to look after the safety of the workers. The safety officer will be appointed from the garden management side. The garden management has decided to provide all medical expenses of Maina Nayak and give a permanent job one member of Maina Nayak's family."

On July 19, Maina Nayak injured herself after her hair got stuck in the CTC (cut, tear, curl) machine of Leptakatta tea factory while working. Her skin was ripped off when she accidentally entered the machine. She was rushed to AMCH but doctors referred her to GMCH.

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