SIVASAGAR, April 11 - Even as the ongoing lockdown period in all likelihood is going to be extended by over two weeks, the tea estates in Sivasagar district will reopen on April 15 with strict adherence to the COVID-19 precautionary norms in pursuance of the order no. 40-3/2020-DM-I(A) dated March 24, 2020 of the government of India. The decision to this effect was taken in a meeting held in the Deputy Commissioner�s office here today which was chaired by Minister of State (Independent), Revenue and Disaster Management Jogen Mohan.
The meeting was attended by all the stakeholders, the managers, representatives of ACMS, small tea growers, bought leaf factories, Tea Association of India, ABITA, Bharatiya Chah Parishad, NE Tea Association, ACKS and ATTSA. The Minister urged upon all the stakeholders not to violate any of the guidelines mentioned in the advisory as a precautionary measure against spread of COVID-19. He instructed the members to provide masks and other sanitizing facilities in the gardens and keep minimum three feet distance from one another.
DC Sivasagar Lakhinandan Gogoi instructed the tea garden managements to make a thorough sanitization of the respective garden complexes, factories and even the vehicles and deploy only 50 per cent workers at a time. The committee suggested forming a monitoring committee in each garden with an assistant manager or the welfare officer as the nodal officer who will keep in touch with the respective Revenue Circle committee on a day-to-day basis.
