State move to allot 2.18 lakh bighas jolts Assam's 825 tea estates

Guwahati, Dec 7: Tea garden managements in the State are in a fix over the State government’s move to acquire and allot labour line land to workers, contending that it would adversely affect the long term viability of the tea sector.

It is learnt that tea planters are exploring legal options, “understanding that take over and distribution of such land may not be legally tenable”.

Meanwhile, district administrations have set in motion plans to acquire the labour line plots, prompting the Consultative Committee of Planters Associations (CCPA), an umbrella body of tea planters associations, to write to the Chief Secretary flagging their concerns.

The CCPA urged that for any land acquired, the management should provide appropriate compensation as per provisions under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

“Since the Central government has notified implementation of the Labour Codes with effect from November 21, 2025, which includes the Occupational Safety Health & Working Conditions (OSH&WC) Code, 2020. The provisions under Section 92 of the Code allow extending the benefits of welfare schemes of the government to tea garden residents. Accordingly, it is submitted that as a consequence of the impending change in status of the areas/ land post take-over, the garden managements be absolved from any responsibility of providing welfare facilities in the areas to be acquired for distribution of patta to workers,” they stated in the letter.

Further, the planters also sought finalization of the State Rules of the OSH&WC Code as early as possible so that the responsibilities pertaining to welfare is explicitly demarcated and the managements absolved from the responsibilities for proving housing water supply, sanitation etc.

The apprehensive planters also mentioned that in many cases, standing assets of the tea garden lands are mortgaged with banks and as such concurrence of the banks is necessary for any dilution of the mortgaged security.

“Further, distribution of patta will confer heritable and transferable rights by dint of which sale or purchase of such lands cannot be prevented. This will be detrimental to the tea estates which exist as composite entities.”

“Even if rights are only heritable, there is no guarantee that the worker’s next kin would work on the estate. There will also be scarcity of land for fulfilling the statutory obligation of the management to provide housing and accommodation to new workers,” a planter said.

A representative of a planters association felt that after land is allotted to the workers, it will be difficult to mobilize their attendance in garden work. “Besides, it could lead to many law-and-order related incidents,” he added.

The State government plans to acquire and allot a total of 2,18,553 bighas of land across 825 tea estates and 3,33,486 tea worker families are expected to be benefitted under the legislation passed in the recently concluded assembly session.