Protests erupt at Kamarbandha tea estate over manager's alleged intimidation

Jorhat, Jan 29: Protests erupted at Kamarbandha Tea Estate as workers abstained from work and staged a demonstration in the tea garden at Titabar co-district of Jorhat district on Tuesday.

According to sources, the workers staged the protest seeking removal of the manager of the tea estate, whom they charged of intimidating the workers on Saturday following a problem between a worker and a sardar of the workers regarding allotment of work. Sources added that the workers had also staged a protest in front of the manager's bungalow on Saturday evening.

Assistant Labour Commissioner (ALC), Jorhat Rupali Pegu who visited the garden today, told The Assam Tribune this evening that following receiving of information regarding the workers' protest, she went to the gar-den to take stock of the situation. Pegu said that she appealed to the workers to resume work and maintain peace and order.

The ALC said that the workers demanded removal of the manager to withdraw their protest as they alleged that a worker was allegedly threatened by the manager, over an issue. Pegu, while stating that her office was trying to mediate and resolve the impasse, asked the workers to submit a written application regarding their grievance against the manager so that efforts could be taken to end the row.

She said that the police had also come to the tea estate and efforts from the tea planters' body of which the garden is a member was on to resolve the problem. It may be mentioned here that Monday was a holiday in the tea estate, owned by a Dibrugarh-based private company, on account of Republic Day falling on a Sunday.