GUWAHATI: Post-demonetisation, the BJP led Assam government claimed on Sunday that it had solved the problem of payment of tea garden workers’ weekly wages, which needs to be disbursed in cash.
The state’s Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) in all districts had been asked to provide cash to tea garden owners so they could make the payment.
“We’ve solved the problem of payment of wages to tea garden workers. The planters will give cheques to the DCs. The DCs will then bring the change from banks and hand the money over to the garden owners,” Sarma told reporters in Guwahati.
Assam has around 800 tea estates where some seven lakh casual and permanent workers are employed. Their minimum daily wage is Rs.169. Over the past 175 years, the weekly wages have been paid in cash on Fridays or Saturdays. But demonetisation has left the owners in a spot of bother given the history of violent incidents when payment was delayed. Since 2005, at least six tea planters and executives were killed by irate workers for delay in payment of Durga Puja bonus.
Meanwhile, the Congress has viewed the Sarbananda Sonowal government’s move to ease the payment of wages for the garden workers as a poll gimmick.
“What he (Sarma) said is utter non-sense. The planters need around Rs.50 crore every week to pay the wages. How will the DCs arrange such a big amount in the denominations of Rs.100 and below?” asked
Congress spokesman Apurba Bhattacharya.
He said if the banks were pressurized to give change of such huge amount every week, the common people would suffer.
“The BJP is doing politics given that by-elections are round the corner. It needs the votes of garden workers. So, the party is trying to keep them in good humour,” Bhattacharya alleged.
By-elections to Baithalangsu assembly and Lakhimpur parliamentary segments will be held on November 19.