Faced with rising LPG prices, Johrat tea workers switch to firewood, urge political parties to increase wages

By Archana Prasad
Jorhat (Assam) [India], March 22 : Faced with rising LPG prices, tea workers of Assam's Jorhat have urged political parties, contesting assembly elections say with their low wages, they are facing trouble in refilling cylinders due to low wages and are forced to burn firewood again.
Speaking to ANI, Puniaari, a tea worker from Jorhat said, "We can no longer afford gas refills so have switched back to burning wood. We have not use a cylinder gas since the last 10 months as prices are steep and we cannot afford it at all."
"I don't know what to demand from political parties, they only does big promises but never fulfils," she further added.
She also urged the political parties, who voted to power in future to increase their daily wages that will help their livelihood and said, "We don't even get any subsidy."
"It's not easy to cook on "Chulha" we feel irritation in our eyes, I face problem in breathing. Earlier, we use to Cook on gas stove but after hike in the price we have stopped using it at all," said Lata, another tea worker.
"We can't afford it now as we get only Rupees 173 rupees after working in tea gardens," she said asking that tell me how can we afford this costly cylinder?
Another tea worker, Seema said, "Our children get late for schools or tuitions, my husband also get late for work because cooking on hearth takes much time s compared to gas stove."
"I demand political parties increase our daily wages maybe than can we afford filling up gas cylinders," she added.