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Bablu Bauri lying in his courtyard
his father died of hunger recently
(Photo taken on
January 27, 2012) |
Guwahati: Barak Human Rights Protection
Committee (BHRPC) has learnt about 11 recent deaths due to
starvation, malnutrition and lack of medical care in Bhuvan Valley
Tea Estate, a privately owned tea garden, in the district of
Cachar in North-East Indian state ofAssam. The conditions of at
least 5 others are so bad that it would be hard for them to
survive a month without urgent medical and nutritional
intervention. Arbitrary and exploitative actions of both the
estate management and government drove about three thousand
labourers and their families on the verge of starvation. The
management abruptly closed the garden on 8 October, 2011 without
paying wages due for 9 weeks, dues from provident fund and other
benefits and alternative livelihood. The government public
distribution system (PDS) and health care facilities are
conspicuous by their absence. It is feared that without urgent and
substantial intervention reports of deaths will keep coming.
BHRPC learnt about the deaths from the reports published on 16
January, 2012 in the local newspaper about a gathering of the tea
labourers in front of the district administrative headquarters at
Silchar. The labourers gathered to know the outcome of the
tripartite meeting among district administration, Barak Cha
Shromik Union (a tea plantation labourers union known to be
affiliated with ruling political party) and estate management
about the situation of tea garden and labourers. Speaking to the
news reporters the labourers informed that 9 persons had already
been died due to starvation and malnutrition till 15 January.
To verify the claims of the labourers and gather more information
about the situation BHRPC formed a fact-finding team comprising of
Dr. Prasenjit Biswas, Neharul Ahmed Mazumder, Sadique
Mohammed Laskar, Waliullah Ahmed Laskar, Raju Barbhuiya
and Nirmal Kumar Das. The team visited the tea garden area on
27 January and talked with the victims, their family members,
neighbours and leaders of the labourers. This report is the
outcome of that exercise.
It is learnt that Rameshwar Kurmi (45), Subhasini Paul (80),
Shachindra Ree (32), Shyamacharan Bauri (55), Nagendra Bauri (55),
Sonamani Pandey (40), Bharati Kal (45), Susham Tanti (35) Ratna
Goala (50) and Atul Bauri lost their lives due to starvation,
malnutrition and lack of medical care. All were labourers or
ex-labourers of the tea garden or their dependents.
Ramashish Dushad (80) of Didarkhush Grant is suffering from
swelling on his legs and is now completely impaired, his body does
not even permit him to get up from the bed. He is an ex-labourer.
According to him, he did not receive his dues from provident fund,
gratuity and arrears. He has none to take care of him, and he has
no such ability to engage someone as caretaker, moreover the
management and the government are indifferent about him. He is
waiting for his last moment.
Prakash Ghatowar (80) and his daughter-in-law Moni Ghatowar
(32) of Didarkhush Grant are also suffering from swelling on their
legs. They also narrated the same story of government apathy and
injustices of the management. They are deprived of livelihood,
remunerations and proper medical treatment. Prakash is half fed
with his family of one daughter-in-law, three daughters and
grandchildren. He lost his physical strength and in no position to
exert himself in any kind of manual works. His grand children
Pinki Ghatowar (17), Kamalabati Ghatowar (15) and Rinki Ghatowar
(12) are compelled to collect firewood from the far off jungles
and sell them in the far off markets ignoring their studies.
Prakash and Moni are suffering from acute mal-nutrition and may
die if no early intervention is made.
Belbati Bauri (75), wife of late Debendra Bauri, is also waiting
for her last moment. She is week, pale and in need of medical
care. Although her son Sricharan Bauri was a permanent labourer in
the estate, he was not getting any ration, medicine or
remuneration for last six months. Ironically they were regarded as
being above poverty line (APL) family, and therefore, are not
eligible for government schemes meant for the poor. According to
them, other facilities provided by the PDS did not reach to them
properly. Other members of the family including a college girl
Moni Bauri engaged themselves in hazardous works like collecting
firewood and selling them for food and medicine for themselves and
the sick members. The family has six members.
Putul Bauri (50) is also suffering from swelling of his legs. His
health does not allow him to work, so he resorted to beggary.
Wiping his tears again and again he tried to express his
sufferings and his anger against the estate management and the
labour unions. According to him, the situation of the labourers of
the tea garden did not become so bad in a day. It took decades.
The labour unions did not raise their voice against the unjust and
exploitative policies of the management; for example, wages lower
than the all Assam average, non-payment of wages, non-payment of
other benefits, gratuity and making the labourers to work overtime
without remuneration. Condition of his health is very bad.
Bablu Bauri (25) and his mother Surabala Bauri (55) had been
living under-fed for months. Bablu’ father Atul Bauri (60), died
recently due to malnutrition and lack of medicine. Bablu was a
casual worker in the estate though he worked regularly. They are
now confined within the house as it is not permitted by
ritualistic rules of their community to go outside the house after
death of a family member. They can not go outside in search of
livelihood.
Plantation labourers Bashistha Dushad (42), Anjana Dushad (42),
Gulab Dushad (50), and some other grassroots leaders like Shyamlal
Tanti (45), Budhan Goala (45), Mahendra Majhi (36), Jaharlal Goala,
Kamal Ghosh, Nirmal Goala, Luchan Kumar Ghosh and Bachun Satnami
narrated the story of their sufferings and expressed their
grievances against the indifference of the administration in spite
of several representations from them. They stated that for years
the estate management was exploiting them in various ways. Some of
the labourers were employed as permanent labourers and are paid
wages as low as rupees 50/- per day at the time of the closure and
the rest were engaged as casual workers and paid even lower wages
at rupees 41/- even though they worked for years. It is also
alleged that the estate management did not provide any residential
quarters for housing the labourers and their families. The
management has engaged hired hooligans to suppress the voice of
the exploited whenever they tried to protest, the labourers said.
They also claimed that while the neighbouring estates were
providing facilities in spite of all drawbacks, this estate was
exploiting them. The wages of the labourers remained pending for
long under various pretext, they were told that the estate was
suffering loss and would recover very soon but that soon did never
come. The management tried to push them to such a situation that
the workers would be compelled to search for alternative
livelihood and would forget their dues. The workers demanded their
dues and stopped working. The estate closed down on 8 October,
2012. Since then the management escaped and engaged their agent
named Fulan Ahmed, a local resident as assistant manager to
suppress the protest. Finding no other way the workers approached
the administration several times. The Deputy Commissioner of
Cachar district assured them that he would find a way out.
However, the labourers are not in a position to trust any
assurance from the government or the management.
The labourers and their families living in the garden area further
stated that they were also deprived from the benefits of various
welfare schemes launched by the central government and state
government. For example, there are only about 7 Anganwadi centres
in the whole estate where more than three thousand people are
living. The centres are run under the Integrated Child Development
Scheme (ICDS) to provide nutrition and health care for the
children, adolescents and gestating and lactating mothers. The
Supreme Court of India in People’sUnionfor Civil Liberties and
others vs. Union of India and others (Writ Petition (C ) No. 196
Of 2001) directed the governments to establish such a centre in
every settlement that has at least 40 children under six but no
Anganwadi.
Even these few centres are not properly functioning, according to
the local inhabitants. They said that workers and helpers of
Anganwadi centres come only once or twice in a month. But they
also cautioned not to go by the records maintained in the office
of the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) since they
maintain false records to show proper utilisation of the money
which they siphon off to other channels.
There are also a few houses granted under the Indira Awas Yojna (IAY)
in the garden area. However, the people claimed that most of such
houses are grated to the labourers who are connected with
management and the labour union affiliated with ruling party of
the state. The poorer are completely deprived from the IAY.
There is, of course, a house proclaiming through its signboard to
be a health centre run under National Rural Health Mission of the
government ofIndia. But the local people informed that it is not
functioning properly. According to them, it is run by an
unqualified practitioner. Moreover, the medicines are not made
available.
There was also a canal reportedly dug under a scheme under the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA),
an Act of parliament that provides for 100 days of work for one
person from every household and in case of non-availability of
work it guarantees unemployment allowance for the same number of
days. Due to corruption the provisions of the Act are not
implemented properly, particularly in remote areas. The people of
the area stated that it is the only work done under MGNREGA in the
garden area and it provided only few workdays for only some
labourers.
They also stated that the canal is the only source of water. It
gives them water for all types of use. People bath in it as well
as wash their utensils, cloths and use the same water for drinking
and cooking foods.
It is also learnt that the district authority sanctioned Rs 15
lakh per year for primary health care, but there is no sign of its
utilization. There is an ambulance, but the driver demands rupees
400 as fare from each patient, which is not affordable to them.
The meeting in the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Cachar
resolved that the estate would be opened on January 23, 2012; but
nothing happened like that. Again on January 25, 2012 another
meeting held in the conference hall of the Deputy Commissioner.
ADC Debashish Chakrabarti, ADC S. K. Das, Assistant Labour
Commissioner K. Singson, the MLA and the Scretary of Barak Cha
Shramik Union Dinesh Prasad Goala, Assistant Manager of the
Tea Estate Fulan Ahmed and others took part in the meeting.
This meeting decided that a committee will be formed under the
chairmanship of the SDO (civil) of Lakhipur Sub Division to manage
the estate. The workers are still anxious about their future.
BHRPC finds that the anti labour policy of the management and the
political interference has led to this situation; every estate is
more or less affected by this. The management exploits the
illiterate workers with the acquiescence of the authorities, the
government facilities does not reach to the beneficiaries, there
is no facility provided for the senior citizens and the healthcare
facilities are only for namesake. Malnutrition, illiteracy and
uncertainty are the common ingredients of the lives of the tea
labourers.
Waliullah Ahmed Laskar
is an
independent Journalist and Human Rights Defender with Barak Human
Rights Protection Committee.
http://bhrpc.wordpress.com
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