Tea Plantation Labour in India TABLE 9 Population Distribution on the Basis of Gender in the Four Gardens Garden fi Jo fi r i ha i t ifi B Dibra, ) D Toottal Male 22 5 0 8 0 5 ( ( 5 5 2 2 . . 7 1 5 8 ) ) 23049578 ((5631..2862)) 8348 (56.26) Female 536 (47.81) 1977 (47.24) 1799 (46.17) 2178 (38.64) 6490 (43.73) Total 1121 (100) 4185 (100) 3898 (100) 5636 (100) 14,338 (100) gag‘ie total labourerf; employed in the four gardens were 4608. In two Iabou:ls—one each in Dx!:)rugarh and Jorhat—the total number of ers employed was in the range of 500 to 700. The other two gardens showed employment of labourers in the range of 1300 to 2100. Of the total labourers (See Table e 1 m 0) ployed, 2642 were permanent and 1966 were temporary. TABLE 10 Employment Status of Labour in the Four Gardens Garden Py orhat A Jorhat B Dibru, Dibru. D = otal Permanent 284 1416 | 527 416 : ) A Temporary 218 646 822 280 — Total e 502 2061 1349 6% e Condition of Labour Lines In each garden, labourers live ip lines the garden. (See Table 11) spread over different parts of inv F a r r o ia m k the takle o ne finds that ro Sade ads a o nd lanes ­in use in the Jines > are 1 . 1y kuccha. . Duri g th : :. and waterlogged, Except tgc;r Oi;n onsoons these roads become slippery the factory . ne garden in Dibrugarh where lines neat tory had streetlight Tacilities, no othey gardin #as fl::; ;‘i:iflitie& 32 Living Conditions of Tea Estate Labourers in Assam TABLE 11 Condition of Labour Lines and Other Facilities Garden Division Lines Road A 1 4 kuccha B 3 13 kuccha c 2 3 kuccha D Nil 4 kuccha Electricity Ploy Gr. Club Rec. Ilem No 1 1 Tootball, Carrom No 1 3 TV, Carrom, I.B. Yes 1 2 © Nil No 1 2 TV, Carrom All the gardens have aplayground each but this was far from adequate for meeting the needs of the workers. Generally, all gardens except one in Dibrugarh provided some recreational facilities such as football, carrom, badminton, etc. Two gardens—one in Dibrugarh and the other in Jorhat—also provided TV sets for its labourers. Housing Facilities The PLA stipulates that the management has to provide houses of certain specifications for its labour. Yet till today most gardens have failed to meet this requirement. (See Table 12) TABLE 12 Housing Condition in the Four Gardens Housing Condition A No. of labour quarters Puccen quarters Kuecha quarters Materials used Walls Floor No. of rooms ‘ Size of rooms 191 28 163 mainly thatch pucca, kuccha; kuccha 2 pucea and 3 kuccha 12'x14 Jorhat B 48 261 487 tin, agbestos, thatch pucca kuecha; lcuccha 2 puccaand 3 kuccha 12'x14 Dibrugarh C D 527 283 413 283 114 Nil same tin “puce kuccha 2 rooms and kitchen 10'x8' pucca kuccha 2 rooms and kitchen 10'x 8 33