Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, April 10: Insisting that the recent allegations against the company were based on “misplaced understanding of its efforts” in Assam, Tata’s tea entity Amalgamated Plantation Private Limited (APPL) on Saturday said it will seek intervention of the appropriate authorities to protect the interests of its employees and facilities in the state.
In a statement released to the media, APPL also said it continues to maintain its main operating office in Guwahati.
“In response to various media enquiries and recent press reports, APPL would like to reiterate that it remains firmly committed to the state of Assam. The majority of our employees, 12,000 of whom are shareholders of our company, are from Assam,” the company said.
“We continue to maintain our main operating office in Guwahati and have 21 tea estates and operating units across Assam, employing almost 50,000 people, including seasonal workers. We have invested substantially in two tea processing units at Hattigor and Lattakoojan tea estates and in a spice processing centre near Misa. In addition to business investments and employment opportunities, we run various community welfare initiatives for livelihood, education, skill development and healthcare, that have positively impacted the lives of about 2.5 lakh people in the state over the last 5 years,” the statement said, without mentioning anything about its plans to shift its corporate office from Guwahati.
The ULFA(I) had threatened action against the company if it failed to shift its offices to Assam and employ only locals.
