JORHAT, Dec 30 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who today came to lay the foundation stone of a primary health centre under NHM at ATCL garden Cinnamara Tea Estate and to address a shramik samaroh at the same venue on the outskirts here, was shown a black flag by a lone protester.
As Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Rameshwar Teli was speaking about CAA, suddenly much to the shock of the security personnel and the delegates on the stage that included Sonowal, Jorhat Lok Sabha MP Topon Kumar Gogoi, Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, state Minister for Industry, Commerce and Transport Chandra Mohan Patowary, a youth showed a black cloth shouting Joi Aai Asom.
He was immediately taken into custody by police and whisked away. Teli continued with his speech.
A police source said that the protester was identified as Pritam Talukdar, who was being interrogated by police. The source said two other persons identified as Dipankar Gogoi and Dimpol Das (both AJYCP Borbheta unit president and secretary respectively) too were picked up by police for trying to protest at the function.
Sonowal, who reportedly was on an unannounced visit here (as name of CM not mentioned in invitation letter of the function), came to the venue on a helicopter and landed at the helipad at ONGC�s Assam and Assam Arakan Basin Complex, which is near the Cinnamara TE.
The Chief Minister�s convoy reportedly came to the venue through a small road passing through the garden that has considerably less movement of vehicular traffic and people.
It is believed that apprehending protest on the road by anti-CAA protesters and disruptions, local police and the Chief Minister�s security wing of the Assam Police made Sonowal�s journey to the function venue via air and selected a less-used road to bring the Chief Minister to the TE from the helipad.
The function which was scheduled to beging from 11 am started about three hours behind schedule as the Chief Minister arrived late.
Meanwhile, a group of AASU and AJYCP activists burnt the effigy of the Chief Minister near the entrance gate of the ONGC�s complex after Sonowal landed at the helipad.
They shouted slogans against Sonowal and the amended Citizenship Act. AASU members also symbolically hanged Sonowal�s effigy in several localities here, like Sadar Tiniali, Cinnamara Tiniali, Bongal Pukhuri, Tarajan and in front of the Jorhat Deputy Commissioner�s office.
In the meantime, Sonowal while addressing the gathering said, �Amar Asom (our State), Amar Mati (our land), Amar Adhikar (our right) are the guiding principles as the State government was safeguarding jati, mati, bheti of the indigenous people with these principles�.
The Chief Minister said that since day one of assuming charge, his Government has been working to safeguard the rights and privileges of the people of the State.
He also said that his Government has adopted a land policy, particularly to protect land rights of the indigenous people. Stating that he being a son of the soil, his government will not do anything by infringing upon the rights of the indigenous people.
The Chief Minister also said that his Government was carrying out survey of ceiling surplus land in tea garden areas just to ascertain the quantum of land to be given to the tea tribes community.
Sonowal allayed the fear generated by some �vested interest groups� that land survey by the State government was for selling the land to outsiders. He maintained that land which originally belongs to the tea tribe community will remain with them.
Stating that health and happiness of the people of Assam are the responsibility of his government, Sonowal said that in the coming days 15 PHCs would be set up in 15 tea gardens belonging to the Assam Tea Corporation Limited.
Terming the tea workers� community as an integral part of Assam�s demography, Sonowal said that the State government would adopt all possible means for the progress and prosperity of the tea community. He added that from January, all the tea tribe community families would be entitled to 2 kg of sugar.
He also said that to stimulate social, cultural, economic and educational development of the tea tribe community, his government would allot Rs 1 crore to each of the 800 tea gardens for construction of roads. He also said that under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, around 4,000 new houses would be built for the TE workers.
Sonowal also announced that from January 1, 2020, his government would hike wages of tea garden workers under ATCL from the existing Rs 138 to 167 per day.
He handed over allotment letters to some beneficiaries as part of allotting land pattas to the tea tribe community.
