Guwahati, March 21: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has strongly criticized the government for its failure to provide adequate healthcare facilities to Assam’s tea garden workers, a predominantly female workforce facing serious health challenges. During Question Hour in Parliament on Friday, he exposed the glaring gaps between policy and reality, asserting that the government’s initiatives exist only on paper while conditions in tea estates continue to deteriorate.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha on Friday, MP Gogoi pointed out that tea garden workers suffer from widespread anaemia, dysentery, and tuberculosis (TB) due to years of neglect by both the Centre and the Assam state government. He highlighted the severe shortage of doctors, lack of sanitation, and absence of clean drinking water, all of which have turned tea estates into breeding grounds for disease.
“Tea garden workers are the backbone of Assam’s economy, yet they continue to suffer in silence. The government boasts of initiatives, but in reality, these workers are left without proper medical attention, clean water, or basic hygiene facilities,” Gogoi said.
Despite the pressing nature of the issue, the Minister failed to provide specific answers, instead offering generic statements about existing healthcare schemes. When pressed for concrete details, the Minister had no clear response, further exposing the government’s lack of awareness and inaction regarding Assam’s tea estates.
The Minister did, however, claim that high-end medical equipment was available in hospitals. Unconvinced, Gogoi demanded an exact list of such facilities, forcing the Minister to commit to sharing the details at a later date.
Taking a proactive approach, MP Gogoi reminded Parliament that he has allocated 30 mobile medical units from his MPLAD funds to improve healthcare access for tea garden workers. However, he stressed that isolated efforts are not enough, urging the government to send a central fact-finding team to assess ground realities, ensure a full-scale doctor recruitment drive for tea garden areas and improve sanitation and clean water facilities in affected communities.
Acknowledging Gogoi’s concerns, the Minister conceded that the Assam government must take stronger steps to address the crisis. However, no concrete commitments were made.
Unfazed, Gogoi vowed to keep fighting for tea garden workers, stating that he will continue raising the issue in Parliament until real action is taken.
