Assam set up panel to probe tea garden work conditions

The Assam government Thursday set up a judicial inquiry commission to study the working conditions in the tea gardens of the state.

The commission to be headed by a retired judge will study the implementation of the Plantation Labour Act in the tea gardens and suggest suitable measures for their improvement, the government said in a statement Thursday.

The commission will look into the housing, health, education and other facilities being provided by the tea gardens under the Act.

The government had earlier carried out an in-depth study of the working conditions in the tea gardens and came up with recommendations for their improvement, especially in the health and education sectors.

The statement said the government has now made it mandatory that a tea garden must have all the facilities under the Act before it is sold off.

The commission was necessitated as it was observed that the management of some tea gardens were not been offering the facilities, it said.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has also directed the state labour and employment department to look into the matter.

Assam has over 700 small and big tea estates and contributes over 52 percent of India's total tea. An estimated 10 lakh people work in the tea estates in the state.