ITANAGAR, 10 Sep: At least 200 tea garden workers blocked the highway in Dirak (Assam) on Tuesday morning from 9:45 am onwards, following a notification issued by the Lekang EAC to ensure regular checking of inner line permits (ILP).
The notification was issued in pursuance of a government order to rigorously implement ILP checking to prevent any unauthorised entry into Arunachal.
Lekang EAC Dr Tojum Ete in the notification mentioned that “proper detailing of names with documents are required for even groups
of labourers coming inside the state,” adding that “any lapses that occurs shall be the responsibility of the staff engaged at the check gates.”
Namsai SP Sange Thinley informed this daily that the tea garden workers, most of them women, blocked the highway, demanding that the ILPs of all workers coming from Assam to Namsi be accepted, and that even workers without ILP be granted permission to enter Namsai if such workers have replaced workers who have ILP but are absent.
The EAC said that 15-day temporary ILPs are issued to the labourers working in the tea gardens.
“The administration has apprised the workers in detail about the issuance of ILP and the issue is resolved,” said Ete.