Assam: Tea estate workers block highway in Kaliabor over unpaid wages

A tense situation unfolded at the Chikoni Tea Estate in Assam's Kaliabor on Monday (April 22) morning as over a hundred agitated tea garden workers blocked the national highway at Tetulguri, protesting the management’s failure to pay their weekly wages.

The protest caused a major disruption to transportation, with traffic coming to a standstill for several hours. 

Despite attempts by police to stop them at multiple points, the determined workers marched nearly three kilometers from the estate to the highway and overcame police barricades to stage the blockade.

The workers had earlier staged a gherao protest inside the estate premises but resorted to blocking the road after receiving no response from the management or the local administration. 

The demonstration prompted the intervention of senior officials including the Sub-Divisional Officer, the Labour Officer, and the Executive Magistrate.

Following discussions with the protesting workers, the blockade was eventually lifted. No untoward incidents were reported during the agitation.