By Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : Memmbers of the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA) on Saturday blocked National Highway 37 at Lahowal and Dikom in Upper Assam’s Dibrugarh district demanding 20 per cent Durga Puja bonus for tea workers.Workers of Behora Tea Estate in Golaghat’s Numaligarh area have demanded immediate release of 20 percent bonus ahead of Durga Puja celebrations in the month of October. An enraged group of protestors took to the streets and blocked NH 37. They further lashed out at authorities for neglecting their hard work and not releasing their demanded bonus.The CCPA, by announcing its inability to pay 20 per cent bonus, and instead stick to the minimum rate of 8.33 per cent, has created unnecessary anxiety and tension among the garden workers. Puja bonus is a sensitive issue for the workers. Every year, the industry pays the maximum 20 per cent bonus and anything less than that is not acceptable. We don’t want any sort of disturbance due to bonus-related issues. We don’t know the reason behind the announcement of less bonus,” said ATTSA district publicity secretary Lakhindra Kurmi.

This year, Durga Puja begins on October 4 and the tea companies are expected to announce their quantum of bonus by the second week of September. The ACMS has already urged the state government to set up a high-level expert committee to study the crisis faced by the tea industry. It also reiterated payment of maximum Puja bonus.The Behora tea estate workers had also boycotted their daily work following the nonpayment of the 20 percent bonus, as a result of which, the tea estate remained shut. It is to be mentioned that tea workers in Assam have been protesting since the past few months regarding the increase of the daily wages, hike in bonus and other labour related issues. Recently, the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) of Tinsukia District Committee had also demanded that the Management of Tea Companies pay 20 percent bonus to all the tea garden workers ahead of Durga Puja celebrations.Ramanus Lakra, the General Secretary of AASAA, Tinsukia District Committee, said that a few days ago, Manohari Tea Estate of Dibrugarh sold 1 Kg Tea for Rs 60,000. The management had declared that this time before Durga Puja, they would pay 8.33 percent bonus to all the tea garden workers. He called it unfortunate. “We demand the Management of Tea Companies of Assam to give 20 percent bonus ahead of Durga Puja. We also demand the clearance of all the arrears of tea garden workers, and to declare Karam Utsav as State Holiday. If our demands are not fulfilled, then AASAA shall stage protests in front all the tea Companies of Assam,” threatened Lakra.