Upper Assam tea garden workers to rally for ST status, land pattas on Oct 8 & 13

Dibrugarh, Sept 30: In a significant escalation of their long-standing demands, tea garden-based organizations are preparing to hold massive rallies in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts, home to the largest concentration of tea gardens, plantation workers and their families. The rallies aim to press for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for tea tribes, land allotments with legal land pattas, and full implementation of minimum wage provisions under existing labour laws.

The rally in Tinsukia has been scheduled for October 8, while October 13 has been set for the Dibrugarh rally. Organizers anticipate large-scale participation from workers across both districts, with plans to mobilize people from nearly every tea estate, including small plantations and their factories. Significant disruptions to garden operations are expected on both days, as thousands of workers are likely to join the demonstrations.

Two rounds of preparatory meetings have already taken place to coordinate logistics and finalize mobilization strategies. According to Lazar Nanda, senior leader of the Assam Tea Tribes Students Association (ATTSA) and one of the convenors, the Tinsukia rally will be held at the ITI Field, while the Dibrugarh rally is set to take place at the Mancotta tea estate puja ground.

Speaking to The Assam Tribune, Nabin Chandra Keot, Dibrugarh Branch Secretary of the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) said the rallies are being organized as a last resort after repeated neglect of their demands. Our core agenda includes the demand for ST status for the tea tribes and the Adivasis, allotment of land with legal ownership documents, and an increase in wages as per the Minimum Wages Act. We are being forced to take to the streets because our rights and entitlements continue to be denied, he said.

According to Keot, the tea garden workers and Adivasi communities have for decades remained among the most exploited and marginalized groups in Assam, despite their invaluable contribution to the state s tea industry.

The demands include not only political recognition through ST status, but also access to basic services such as quality healthcare, education, housing, and clean drinking water services that are either grossly inadequate or entirely absent in most tea garden areas.

Landlessness remains one of the most pressing issues, as generations of workers continue to live on company land without ownership rights, making them vulnerable to eviction and exclusion from government welfare schemes, he said.

The organizers are calling for political commitment and administrative action to address these historical injustices. With momentum building and public sentiment high among the tea tribe communities, both rallies are expected to serve as a powerful statement of unity and resistance ahead of the approaching assembly polls.