Tea Tribe Community of Assam Still Made to Work at Estates Despite COVID-19 Lockdown

Moran, March 27, 2020:

It has now come to light that the tea tribe workers, one of the most underprivileged classes from Assam, are still being made to work by the owners of the estates, despite the imposition of a 21-day lockdown that has been called by the Government of India. This has been attested by a leader of the community, Deben Urang, who has lamented that despite legal ramifications of forcing tea tribe members to work despite the lockdown, the directive is being violated.

ALSO READ: Assam: Being Made to Work Despite COVID-19 Crisis, Tea Tribes Call for 48-Hour ‘Bandh’

Urang, who is the Secretary of the All Adivasi Students' Association complains that there is little awareness among the community as far as the COVID-19 is concerned. "At a time when the corona has hit the world, the Indian Government has called for a 21-day lockdown. In some tea gardens, the owners are continuing to make the employees work."

The tea tribe leader also lamented that some tea tribe laborers are not following the Government's directives and they have stepped outside their houses and are loitering outside. "They should follow the

He further added that because the tea tribe community is economically vulnerable, they should be provided with facilities so that they are able  "They must be provided with daily rations, and they must be given the health facilities and

At a time when the Government has raised the red alert over the coronavirus in the wake of the global outbreak that has affected over 5 lakh people, this is a really astounding development. Furthermore, it has also been reported that in Jorhat district, many of the tea tribe community people have returned to their houses after the outbreak, and are yet to be properly screened.

ALSO READ: Assam: GMCH to be Turned into Dedicated Facility for COVID-19 Patients

Earlier, talking to mediapersons, a leader of the Assam Tea Tribe Students' Association (ATTSA) said, “To stop corona in its tracks, the Government has taken initiatives in every sector – private or Government. However, the mass gatherings in tea gardens are still there; no social distancing is there. Thus, keeping this in mind, since the PM had called for janata curfew, we have called for a bandh with the same sentiment. The ATTSA workers will meanwhile spread awareness about COVID-19 in these places.”

Lockdown in Assam:

Not following the guidelines and 'social distancing' is not only something that has been lost on the tea tribe community. People from other parts of Assam are also finding it tough to follow the Government directives. Today, such a large number of people thronged the market to buy essentials, that the Government has been forced to closed down meat/vegetable vendors' shops. The Assam Police, ruing the situation, wrote in a tweet, "It is very unfortunate that a section of the public is still not ready to maintain social distancing. Along with the lives of their parents and children, they are putting everyone else at risk also. Keeping this in mind, all weekly as well as daily markets have been closed down."

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