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Updated by
Published on
October 24, 2022
March 11, 2024
Edited on
March 11, 2024
October 24, 2022
On May 12, 2022, over a hundred tea garden workers of Doloo tea estate in Lalbagh division of Silchar, the headquarter of Cachar district of Assam, came out to protest against the clearing of the tea estate. If implemented fully, the clearing would result in their eviction from the tea estate and subsequent loss of their only source of livelihood. Doloo tea garden employs approximately 1,900 people, including both regular and non-regular staff. The eviction drive, likely to uproot over 3 milllion plants, is being conducted to clear the land for the construction of a proposed Greenfield airport planned by the Airports Authority of India in consultation with the Assam government.
The state government plans to clear around 859.5 acres of Doloo tea estate out of its total area of 3,294 acres (9,965 bighas) for the airport. Although Section 144 had been issued in the area alongside the deployment of heavy security cover, workers quickly gathered at the site when over 100 bulldozers arrived to raze the tea plantations.
The eviction was conducted by the Assam government amidst strong opposition from the labourers of Doloo Tea estate who claimed that the eviction contradicted the pre-election assurance from the state government that no policy would be pursued that endangers the interests of the tea estate workers.
An affected worker said, “We cannot accept the airport as it will take away our livelihood. Where will we work if the government destroys the tea plantation and constructs an airport? We don’t have the required skill set or education to work in an airport or any other place. The tea garden is the only place where we can work and earn something. This is why we have been protesting. But the tone-deaf government is not ready to listen.”
The eviction is said to be undertaken after an MoU for acquiring the land for the airport was signed in March 2022 between the authorities of the Doloo Tea Company and three registered trade unions viz Barak Cha Shramik Union, Akhil Bharatiya Cha Mazdoor Sangh and Barak Valley Cha Mazdoor Sangh. The tea workers, however, reject the MoU saying that the MoU was signed without consulting them even though they are the actual stakeholders. They further allege that the MoU was kept a secret until the officials came to demarcate the land on April 19, and it was only after numerous protests that the MoU was made public. In two subsequent public hearings, the workers had explicitly rejected the MoU, but their pleas were ignored as the demolition drive continued according to the planned schedule.
Another bone of contention in the conflict is the non-disbursal of the provident fund (PF) money by the Doloo tea management to its workers. The tea workers claim that they are yet to receive the PF contributions they have been making for the past several years. The company management says that it will clear all pending PF and Gratuity claims upon receiving compensation from the government. The tea garden workers counter by arguing that PF and gratuity are their legal entitlements which the tea garden administration must pay from the tea garden's income rather than from government compensation.
However, the proposed greenfield airport finds no mention in the Union government’s list of 21 approved greenfield airports that was shared in the Lok Sabha on March 17, 2022, by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. In a written response to a query raised in Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, said that the Union ministry had not received any proposal to build a new greenfield airport in the Cachar region of Assam.
On November 30, 2022, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma distributed Rs 1 lakh to each of the 1,296 families residing in the Doloo tea estate. However, there are allegations that some workers did not receive the money. "Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma came here to distribute the money. Some workers received it, but many are still deprived of the compensation," said a worker from the tea estate.
During the cheque distribution program, female workers protested in front of the Chief Minister and other officials. Following which, the CM assured them of proving addition benefits through government schemes.
In April 2023, Assam Revenue Minister Jogen Mohan informed the Assembly that the state government had allocated an additional Rs 20 crore for compensating 1,496 casual workers in Doloo tea estate.
Meanwhile, the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation General V K Singh (retd) said that the proposal for setting up of Greenfield airport in Cachar’s Doloo tea estate was under consideration by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), in consultation with airport authority of India (AAI), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Ministry of Defence (MoD) and government of Assam (GoA).
Demand to stop the clearing of the tea estate
Rural
Common and Private
Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Non-agri rural enterprise
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Page Number In Investment Document:
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
No
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Nature of Protest
Protests/marches
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Assam State Government, Cachar District Administration, Ministry of Civil Aviation
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Doloo Tea Company
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
No
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Barak Cha Shramik Union, Akhil Bharatiya Cha Mazdoor Sangh, Barak Valley Cha Mazdoor Sangh, Dolo Tea Estate Save Coordination Committee
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
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