Never termed protesting tea garden workers in Dolu as "Maoists": MP Rajdeep Roy; Blames outsiders and media for spreading rumours

Dr. Rajdeep Roy, the MP of Silchar, has appealed to the people not to be provoked by the rumors regarding the Greenfield Airport to be constructed in Dolu tea estate. He assured that no one is being evicted from their home in Dolu tea estate, it is only the land acquisition process that has begun.

Appearing on a Facebook Live, Dr. Roy has quashed all the accusations against the government and administration regarding the Airport in Dolu tea estate. He said a section of media and outsiders are trying to deviate the narrative with misinformation that an eviction drive will be carried out in Dolu, but this is not true, as there is no settlement in place which will be acquired for the airport. He also said that Dolu tea estate has almost 1700 workers, among them 1200 are permanent and 500 casual.

Dr. Roy has promised on behalf of the government that no one will lose their job, and informed that already 170 workers have got their due payment and soon all the pending payments will be cleared in a phased manner. He said almost 2 Crore 37 Lac rupees is being transferred to the workers.

While speaking about the Maoist angle behind the labour protest, Dr. Roy has said, “We have never termed them as Maoist, we are standing for the cause of them, we are sympathetic to them. The Maoist angle arrived after a senior-level Maoist leader was arrested from Barak Valley, and from his confession during the interrogation the speculation of a Maoist network in Barak Valley has come to the surface, there might be some ultra-left leaning leaders trying to create a network by provoking the workers,” Dr. Roy said.

On the destruction of tea saplings and trees, Dr. Roy said, “Tea plants have a life span of about 60-70 years, and the trees that are being destroyed are almost 60 years of age, they will be replaced anyway. Only 2500 Bigha land is being acquired for the Airport, in the rest of the places new tree plantations will come up soon,” he added.

Kumbhirgram Airport is situated at the hilltop and there are obstacles to expanding it, it was established during the Second World War. Silchar is the second-largest city in North East India in terms of population, and infrastructure after the Guwahati, and the current Airport is not enough. So State and Union Government was planning for an alternative Airport elsewhere.

The management of the Dolu tea estate has given their consent to the district administration and all the legal procedures have been followed before the land acquisition, informed Dr. Roy. He also said that the Memorandum of Understanding was signed by all stakeholders, later on each and every political party gave their consent and support to the project.

But, Dr. Roy accused that some outsiders and sections of media are trying to sway the local labourers for their own vested interest. Dr. Roy has appealed that if anybody has any genuine demand they may correspondent it to authority, the authority will take care of it.