Many tea gardens in Assam started work by following COVID-19 protocols

The gardens of few districts of the state have started functional from Saturday following a series of meeting of the state government.

The district administrations have permission to resume operations of the tea gardens with COVID-19 protocols.

The tea planters have been allowed the activities like skilling, plucking, manufacturing with 50 percent workforce and COVID-19 protocols.

According to the district administrations order, the tea gardens will operate with maximum 50 percent workers and employees on roster basis, movement of workers of a tea garden will be restricted within the premises of the garden only, no outsiders will be allowed to enter in the garden premises except for emergency services, all tea gardens authoritites will ensure strict compliance of social distancing of at least one meter and proper hygiene practices, wearing o mask by the labourers, employees is compulsory in the tea gardens.

Along with others, the tea industry in Assam has been under lockdown since March 24.

Dibrugarh district Deputy Commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha said that all the tea gardens have to be followed the social distancing norms and the Union government’s directive.

“We have taken a decision to open the tea gardens and all the garden management authorities have to be followed the COVID-19 protocols,” Pallav Gopal Jha said.

There are a total of 803 registered tea gardens and more than 10,000 small tea gardens in Assam and around 45 lakh daily wage labourers are working in the tea gardens.

Dibrugarh has the highest number of tea gardens in the state with 177 gardens.

(By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)